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December, 2007

Martyn Coombs, CEO Asterand Plc: The First Months Martyn Coombs joined Asterand in March 2007, to lead the company into the next phase of growth, following the merger in 2006 of Asterand Inc. and Pharmagene Laboratories Ltd. Asterand is now in the process of expanding by building on the many advantages of combining Asterand Inc., a tissue banking company based in Detroit, USA and Pharmagene Laboratories, Ltd., a human tissue research company based in Royston, UK. Each facet of the new company significantly complements the other by providing clients with a one-stop shop combining extensive expertise in both human tissue supply and human research services. With laboratories in both the UK and the US and a presence in Japan, Asterand provides complete customer satisfaction in our major markets. Martyn has brought senior international business experience to the company from his time with Amersham; he has developed an expanded vision of the company and put in place a comprehensive strategy to lead Asterand into the next period of development and growth. This initiative is now powering our strategic global goals resulting in the following benefits for clients: New teams spanning Detroit and Royston make global interactions seamless for maximum efficiency for our customer base A new level of customer care through the enhanced sales and marketing team formed of nine experienced and high performing business development directors with full back-up facilities Our lean six sigma initiative which has been wholeheartedly embraced by the tissue bank team in Detroit which will soon be generating enhanced benefits for clients requiring human tissues An appraisal of our tissue banking collections. In view of the Russian restrictions on biomaterials, a long term action is being taken to set up new collaborations outside Russia over the next year which will make the company less vulnerable to sudden political change. Tissue deliveries that were delayed due to the Russian actions are now being despatched from Detroit Continued considerable investment of resource into donor consent and ethical standards. We take great care in this area and this is one reason why pharmaceutical companies want to work with us. Asterand is a small company, but we have big aspirations. An agreement with the US Government to assess the condition and value of the Department of Defence Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP) Tissue Repository recognises Asterand as a leader in our field (please see Asterand Updates in this Newsletter). This agreement underlines recognition of Asterand’s expertise. The AFIP tissue repository is the largest, most well known tissue bank in the world containing 75 million samples going back 90 years and is a very important biomedical resource. The US government has chosen Asterand to report on the current state of the repository and make recommendations for best practices and usage. Asterand is looking forward to working with the US government on this important contract and to build a relationship to engender further collaborative efforts. Our clients, ranging from global pharmaceutical companies to small biotech companies, are increasingly turning to the use of human tissue. Pre-clinical animal tests are only a partial guide to reactions in humans; the use of human tissue bridges the gap before testing in humans. Asterand’s compelling technology enables clients to take candidate drugs into the clinic with more confidence of success as it gives a chance to explore likely responses in humans before testing in humans. Asterand is seeking to become the clear global market leader in this area. We are setting out to become the partner of choice in human tissue (products and services) and we aim for close consultative partnerships with our customers, helping them to reach better, more effective decisions regarding their pipelines. Under Martyn’s leadership we hope to achieve our aims and have been pleased to welcome him to the company. For further information, please e-mail: advantage@asterand.com.

ASTERAND SUPPORTS HUMAN DRUG DISCOVERY AND TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE THROUGH THE PROVISION OF HIGH QUALITY WELL CHARACTERIZED HUMAN BIOMATERIALS AND PRECLINICAL RESEARCH SERVICES

Visit us at www.Asterand.com