MANCHESTER, UK--(Marketwire - April 7, 2008) - Epistem Plc (
LSE:
EHP), the UK epithelial
stem cell company, announced today that data on its cancer stem cell assays
will be presented at the international meeting of the American Association
for Cancer Research (AACR) at the San Diego Convention Center, California,
USA from 13th to 16th April 2008.
It has been suggested that tumours are derived from a small subpopulation
of
"cancer stem cells." If these stem cells are not affected by a cancer
therapy
the treatment is only likely to be palliative and the tumour will re-grow.
Epistem are currently developing and validating cancer stem cell assays to
test
the effect of novel cancer agents on this cell type to help identify more
effective treatments.
The poster presentation will demonstrate that a key regulator of epithelial
stem
cells, discovered by Epistem's Novel Therapies Division, inhibits the
growth of
cancer stem cells. Epistem have assayed the protein in an in vitro cancer
stem
cell assay and have shown it to reduce the formation of breast cancer
spheres
(mammospheres) four-fold. Epistem's Contract Research Division also
provides
the cancer stem cell assay on a contract basis for other pharmaceutical and
biotechnology companies.
An abstract can be viewed on the AACR website at
www.aacr.org or under
'latest
news' on the Epistem website at
www.epistem.co.uk
This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
Contact Information: For further information, please contact:
Matthew Walls
Chief Executive Officer
Epistem Plc
+44 (0)161 606 7258
+44 (0)7887 501998
Mike Wort / Anna Dunphy
Financial PR/IR
De Facto Communications
+44 (0) 207 861 3838