Epistem to release data on it's Cancer Stem Cell Assays at AACR
19 May 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.
