Detroit-based human tissue bank Asterand Inc. last week announced that it has made available a new cell line that offers researchers an important tool in the study of breast cancer. Asterand Chief Scientific Officer James Eliason said the cells were derived from normal mammary cells that developed cancer, representing a form of breast cancer that accounts for about 25 to 30 percent of newly diagnosed cases. The cell line is being made available to researchers under an exclusive license from the Karmanos Cancer Institute, which is affiliated with Wayne State University. It is expected to be valuable for the testing of chemopreventive agents and for screening cancer-causing agents, in addition to screening anti-cancer drugs.