Epistem Holdings PLC (LON:EHP) said it was reappointed for up to 5 years as a preclinical testing services subcontractor to a US programme developing medical countermeasures against radiological threats, called MCART.
From the first subcontract commencing in 2006, Epistem received approximately US$3.5 million to develop models and evaluate novel drugs that can treat the effects of radiation damage to the gastrointestinal tract. The new five year subcontract is expected to extend and grow the scope of the collaborative relationship. Financial details for the extension were not provided.
The MCART programme was awarded by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) to the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) in Baltimore.
MCART aims to identify and develop new treatments for use in the event of a radiological or nuclear incident. As a subcontractor, Epistem is a member of the research consortium which has been awarded the contract and comprises radiobiology experts, each with specialist knowledge of the effects of radiation in different tissues of the body.
Epistem's role is to provide specialized gastrointestinal models to assess the efficacy and mode of action of new drugs entering the programme. In the previous subcontract, the company refined drug screening methods, further characterised the biology of radiation damage in the gastrointestinal tract and assessed several new drug candidates.
Epistem CEO Matthew Walls commented: "The past few years collaboration with NIAID (NIH's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases) and UMSOM have been incredibly successful. A series of models have been developed and used to screen potential treatments for acute radiation damage. This fresh contract covering five years will allow us to progress successful candidate drugs, in addition to developing models to assess treatments for the delayed effect of radiation damage".
Epistem is a biotechnology and personalised medicine company commercialising its expertise in epithelial stem cells in the areas of oncology, gastrointestinal diseases and dermatological applications. It develops innovative therapeutics, biomarkers and diagnostics and provides contract research services to drug development companies.
The group's 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 does not conduct research in the areas of embryonic stem cells or stem cell transplantation. The company was originally formed in 2000.
Epistem operates three distinct business divisions, Contract Research Services, Novel Therapies and Personalised Medicine (biomarker and diagnostics).