MANCHESTER, UNITED KINGDOM--(Marketwire - Feb. 19, 2013) - Epistem plc (LSE:EHP), the UK biotechnology and personalized medicine company, has announced today that their Contract Research Division's histology and immunohistochemistry (IHC) laboratories have been awarded Good Clinical Laboratory Practice (GCLP) accreditation status. The Contract Research Division provides solutions to support preclinical testing and clinical drug development programs within pharmaceutical and biotechnology organizations, providing valuable information on drug efficacy, target identification and protein biomarkers. The team provide a specialized histology and IHC service in UK Human Tissue Authority accredited laboratories, specializing in the development of novel methods for protein detection and localization. Epistem develops antibody novel labeling protocols and provides quality controlled data sets and publication quality images, complemented by use of the GLP compliant Ariol^® and Aperio^® PRECISION image analysis platforms.

GCLP status demonstrates that the Contract Research Division operates to standards set by the British Association of Research Quality Assurance that assures the reliability, quality and integrity of the work and results generated, and will allow studies to support the pivotal clinical phases of client drug development.

Catherine Booth, Co-founder and Managing Director of Epistem Contract Research Division commented, "Accreditation strengthens our clinical biomarker capabilities enabling us to support regulatory submissions from partners who use our technology and expertise globally."

For further information on the Company, please visit [ www.epistem.co.uk ].

Notes to Editors:

About Epistem

Epistem is a biotechnology and personalised medicine company commercialising its expertise in epithelial stem cells and pharmacogenomics in the areas of oncology, gastrointestinal, dermatological and infectious disease.

Epistem develops innovative therapeutics, biomarkers and diagnostics alongside providing preclinical services to drug development companies. Epistem's core expertise is focused on the regulation of adult stem cells located in epithelial tissue which includes the gastrointestinal tract, skin, hair follicles, breast and prostate. Epistem also has a range of proprietary amplification (RNA and DNA) technologies for use in drug discovery, development and diagnostics. [ www.epistem.co.uk ]

Contributing Sources

---

Market Wire