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MetaStat Expands Therapeutic and Companion Diagnostic Intellectual Property Portfolio

MTST | May 23, 2017

MetaStat Expands Therapeutic and Companion Diagnostic Intellectual Property Portfolio

MetaStat, Inc. (OTCQB: MTST), a personalized medicine company developing therapeutic and diagnostic treatment solutions for cancer patients, announced today it received from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), a notice of allowance for claims contained in a divisional application (U.S. patent application 14/074,089) entitled “Metastasis Specific Splice Variants of Mena and Uses Thereof in Diagnosis, Prognosis and Treatment of Tumors.” Additionally, MetaStat has received from the European Patent Office (EPO), a notice of issuance for patent EP 2 126 566 B1 entitled “Metastasis Specific Splice Variants of Mena and Uses Thereof in Diagnosis, Prognosis and Treatment of Tumors.”

“Importantly, these patents provide additional protection for our anti-metastatic therapeutic program and broader claims related to kit and nucleic acid versions for our Mena^INV companion diagnostic assay,” stated Douglas A. Hamilton, President and CEO of MetaStat. “Expanding our intellectual property portfolio is a critical component of our new Rx/Dx strategy focused on developing higher-value products.”

European issued patent EP 2 126 566 B1 contains claims supporting the therapeutic use of anti-mena isoform drugs in addition to diagnostic use. The USPTO allowed additional claims related to kit based nucleic acid versions of MetaStat’s protein-based companion diagnostic tests. MetaStat can increase patient access to the Mena^INV companion diagnostic test by developing a variety of nucleic acid and protein-based formats using different instrument platforms giving providers greater flexibility to run the test in their facility or at MetaStat’s centralized CLIA-approved laboratory.

About Mena ^INV Companion Diagnostic Test

Companion diagnostic tests provide oncologists with information regarding patient’s eligibility for cancer drugs and if the patient is likely to benefit. MetaStat is developing the Mena^INV companion diagnostic test to select patients for treatment with our anti-metastatic drug candidates, based on the Mena isoform drug target, and to predict drug response to certain receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) inhibitors and taxane-based treatments.

About MetaStat, Inc.

MetaStat is a biotechnology company focused on discovering and developing personalized therapeutic and diagnostic treatment solutions for cancer patients. Our Mena isoform “driver-based” diagnostic biomarkers also serve as novel therapeutic targets for anti-metastatic drugs. MetaStat is developing therapeutic product candidates and paired companion diagnostics based on a novel approach that makes the Mena isoform protein a drugable target. Our core expertise includes an understanding of the mechanisms and pathways that drive tumor cell invasion and metastasis, as well as drug resistance to certain targeted therapies and cytotoxic chemotherapies. MetaStat is based in Boston, MA.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You are cautioned that such statements are subject to a multitude of risks and uncertainties that could cause future circumstances, events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors and other risks, including those set forth in the company's Form 10-K and its other filings filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You should consider these factors in evaluating the forward-looking statements included herein, and not place undue reliance on such statements. The forward-looking statements in this release are made as of the date hereof and the company undertakes no obligation to update such statements.