Financial News 2008

ASTERAND PLC

Board Appointment

April 3, 2008

Asterand plc (LSE: ATD), a leading provider of human tissue and services to pharmaceutical companies engaged in drug discovery research, announces the appointment of Dr. Peter Coggins as a Non-Executive Director. This appointment is with immediate effect.

Dr Coggins [59] has thirty-five years experience in the biotechnology and life science industry. Previously he was President of PerkinElmer Inc. Life and Analytical Sciences, and as such had full p&l responsibility for a business with sales of $1.2 billion and staff of 4,200. In this capacity he also served as a Corporate Officer and a member of the Executive Committee. Prior to PerkinElmer, Dr Coggins served as Executive VP Global Sales, at Amersham Biosciences.

Dr Coggins is a past Chairman of ALSSA (Analytical & Life Science Sciences Association and is currently a Director on the Boards of Biohit Oyj (Helsinki) and deltaDOT Ltd (London).

David Lee, Chairman of Asterand, commented:

"We are converging on our objective of sustained profitability and building a framework for future growth. As we reach this next stage of our development, we have decided to strengthen our collective experience running successful businesses in the Life Sciences domain. I am pleased that Peter has agreed to join Asterand's Board. He is an accomplished business leader with expertise in growing and managing businesses within the life science sector. In due course, we intend to make further changes to the Board to broaden the Board's expertise and industry experience."

For further information contact:
Martyn Coombs, Chief Executive Officer
David Lee, Chairman
Tel No: UK: 01763 211600
Tel No: US: 001 (313) 263-0960
www.asterand.com

Buchanan Communications
Lisa Baderoon / Rebecca Skye Dietrich
David Lee, Chairman
Tel No: UK: 020 7466 5000

Director disclosures:
Dr Coggins currently holds two other company directorships:
Biohit Oyj
deltaDOT Limited

There is no further information required to be disclosed under Rule 9.6.13R of the Listing Rules of the Financial Services Authority.

Notes to Editors
Asterand is a leading 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.