("Epistem"  or  "the  Company")  

Epistem  (London  AIM:EHP),  the  biotechnology  and  personalised  medicine  company,  is  pleased  to  announce  today  the  signing  of  a  sales  and  marketing  agreement  for  its  rapid  molecular  test  for  Tuberculosis  (TB)  with  Xcelris  Labs,  one   of   India's   leading   Genomics   research   and   Diagnostic   testing   companies.   Following   the   completion   of   clinical  testing,  Epistem  will  prepare  regulatory  submissions  in  advance  of  the  launch  of  its  first  molecular  TB  test  including  
patient  assessment  for  antibiotic  resistance  using  its  novel  GenedriveTMplatform.  
Genedrive™   provides   a   major   advance   in   next   generation   molecular   diagnostic   testing.   It   provides   a   rapid   (less  than   30   minutes),   low   cost,   simple   to   use   'Point   of   Care'   device   with   high   sensitivity   and   DNA   specificity.   This   is  applicable   to   a   wide   range   of   viral,   bacterial,   fungal   and   somatic   mutation   disease   areas.   Genedrive™   will   be  targeted   at   providing   the   'gold   standard'   for   TB   identification   and   antibiotic   resistance   testing   and   will   be   priced  competitively   with   existing   less   accurate   and   slower   methods   of   diagnosis   such   as   microscopy   and   culturing.   The  World   Health   Organisation   (WHO)   has   publicly   recommended   that   nations   incorporate   new   rapid   molecular   tests  for  tuberculosis  into  their  disease  testing  programs.  Designed  as  a  handheld  device,  Genedrive™  brings  a  new  and  disruptive  approach  to  diagnostic  testing  across  a  broad  spectrum  of  infectious  diseases  such  as  TB,  Dengue  Fever,  HIV  and  a  wide  range  of  sexually  transmitted  diseases  (STD's).    

India   has   the   largest   number   of   TB   sufferers   in   the   world,   more   than   twice   the   number   in   China,   which   has   the  second   highest   infection   rate.     According   to   the   WHO,   every   year   2   million   new   patients   in   India   develop   TB,   with  the   highest   incidence   of   fatalities   occurring   in   remote   rural   areas.   Xcelris   will   be   the   channel   partner   for  
distribution   of   the   GenedriveTMtechnology   across   India   and   the   Indian   sub-­