Pluristem Therapeutics to Present at Italian CREM Workshop Focused on Placental-Derived Cells
NEW YORK, Feb 17, 2009 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Pluristem Therapeutics Inc. (NasdaqCM:PSTI) (DAX:PJT), a bio-therapeutics company dedicated to the commercialization of unrelated donor-patient (allogeneic) cell therapy products for a variety of disorders, announced today that Racheli Ofir, Ph.D., Senior Scientist at Pluristem, has been invited by the Centro di Ricerca E. Menni (CREM), Fondazione Poliambulanza, Brescia, Italy, to present at a workshop titled "Placenta-Derived Cells for Treatment of Inflammatory Diseases: Moving Toward Clinical Applications", on Friday, March 13, 2009. Dr. Ofir's presentation is titled "The Role of the Placental-Derived Mesenchymal-like Stromal Cell (PLX-PAD) in the Treatment of Critical Limb Ischemia (CLI)".
"The research and medical communities are very interested in the placenta as a superior source for cell therapy. This entire workshop is devoted to studies performed on placental cells and their potential for becoming therapeutic products. At Pluristem, we believe the placenta will play a major role in the developing cell therapy market," stated Zami Aberman, Chairman, President and CEO of Pluristem. "Based on substantial pre-clinical data, we have developed a pipeline of placental-derived mesenchymal-like stromal cell products, the first one being PLX-PAD for the treatment of critical limb ischemia," he added.
About CREM
Centro di Ricerca E. Menni (CREM) is a research center affiliated with the Poliambulanza Foundation and dedicated to the memory of Mother Eugenia Menni, whose wish was to establish a research center in conjunction with a working structure for the care of the sick. The objective of this center is to integrate two complementary aspects of modern medicine: research and patient care.
About Pluristem
Pluristem Therapeutics Inc. is a bio-therapeutics company dedicated to the commercialization of unrelated donor-patient (allogeneic) cell therapy products for the treatment of several severe degenerative, ischemic and autoimmune disorders. The Company is developing a pipeline of products, stored ready-to-use, that are derived from human placenta, a non-controversial, non-embryonic, adult stem cell source.
These placental adherent stromal cells (ASCs) are expanded in the Company's proprietary PluriX(TM) 3D bioreactor, which imitates the natural 3D microenvironment of these cells and does not require supplemental growth factors or other exogenous materials. Pluristem believes that the resultant PLX (PLacental eXpanded) cells' efficacy may be related to the secretion of cytokines or other potent immune modulators. Furthermore, PLX cells are immune privileged and possess immunomodulatory properties, thus protecting the recipient from immunological reactions that often accompany transplantations.
Pluristem's first product in development, PLX-PAD, is intended to improve the quality of life of millions of people suffering from peripheral artery disease (PAD). The Company's products in development also include PLX-IBD, targeting Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD); PLX-MS, targeting Multiple Sclerosis; PLX-BMT, targeting the global shortfall of matched tissue for bone marrow transplantation (BMT) by improving the engraftment of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) contained in umbilical cord blood; and PLX-STROKE, targeting ischemic stroke.
Pluristem has offices in the USA with research and manufacturing facilities in Israel.
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