DETROIT, MI – April 22, 2010 - Asterand, a leading global supplier of human tissue and human tissue-based research services to pharmaceutical companies engaged in drug discovery and development, announces the successful conclusion of its first annual Human Tissue Research Conference entitled “Understanding Cancer Through Human Tissue-based Models.” Held in Washington DC, on April 14-15, the conference directly preceded the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association of Cancer Researchers.
The meeting provided an opportunity for more than 60 academic, government and pharmaceutical scientists to exchange information on the latest innovations in human tissue models and cancer research. Speakers included Carolyn Compton, Director of the Office of Biorepositories and Biospecimen Research, of the National Cancer Institute, Robert Coleman of the Safer Medicines Trust, Professor Eugene Butcher of Stanford University School of Medicine, Christopher Womack of AstraZeneca, Han Chang of Bristol Myers Squibb and Robert Hewitt, a Past President of ISBER (International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories), among others. Video highlights of selected presentations will be available at www.asterand.com.
Martyn Coombs, CEO, Asterand, commented:
“Around a year ago, we at Asterand decided to sponsor and organize a conference where we didn’t present or promote our
company, but instead brought together the key leaders from government, academia and pharma to provide a melting pot for
sharing and progressing our common purpose. Already, human tissue-based disease models are key contributors to the
development of new diagnostic tools and treatments for cancer. Right now I believe that we are at the cusp of disruptive
change, driven by: Firstly innovation within pharma and academia; Secondly the NIH/OBBR championing the need for high
tissue quality; and Thirdly, companies like Asterand raising the bar on standardization and quality and becoming better at
meeting demand. We were honored to sponsor this conference that brought together so many great minds on this subject.
We believe that these sorts of initiatives can make a real difference in the use of human-based solutions to develop new
therapies against disease.”
Asterand is a leading global supplier of high quality human tissue and tissue-based services. Our comprehensive approach to human tissue and research services offers pharmaceutical, biotech and diagnostic companies the unique opportunity to have one company meet all of their human biomaterial needs along the continuum of drug discovery and development. Our mission is to accelerate target discovery and compound validation and enable pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to take safer and more effective drugs into the clinic.
