EPA Extends Asterand plc''s Role in ToxCas(TM) Program

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Asterand plc (LSE: ATD), a leading human-based solutions provider to pharmaceutical companies engaged in drug discovery research, today announced that the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has extended its Phase II funding commitment to Asterand’s subsidiary BioSeek LLC under the agency’s ToxCast™ screening program. This extension is for an additional $1.5 million, to profile the biological properties of chemical compounds, and is in addition to the $1.7 million commitment for Phase II announced in June, 2009. BioSeek remains eligible to participate in further phases of the program and its eventual implementation.