Pluristem Advances Its Intramuscular Hematology Program; Assembles Clinical Advisory Board of World Renowned Opinion Leaders
HAIFA, Israel, Dec 4, 2012 (GlobeNewswire via COMTEX) -- Pluristem Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq:PSTI) (TASE:PLTR), a leading developer of placenta-based cell therapies, announced today that the Company has established its Clinical Advisory Board (CAB) in hematology. The CAB includes prestigious physicians, researchers and leaders from the field of hematology from around the world. In a recent meeting between the advisory board and the company, hematological indications for Pluristem's PLacental eXpanded (PLX) cells were evaluated. Pluristem's goal is to commercialize PLX cell products for pressing hematological indications via intramuscularly (IM) injections.
"I am pleased that these knowledgeable and renowned leaders are confident that, based on data presented, PLX cells could have therapeutic potential in several hematological indications," said Zami Aberman, Chairman and CEO of Pluristem. "We believe that the IM administration of PLX cells may become a "game changer" in treating the diseased or injured bone marrow of patients. Following the meeting with the CAB, we have established a process to determine which hematological indications we should advance into clinical trials."
Pluristem is pleased to include the following members into the hematology CAB:
-- Fred Appelbaum MD, PhD - President of Seattle Cancer Care Alliance,
Senior Vice President and Director of Clinical Research Division of Fred
Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Head of Division of Medical Oncology
of University of Washington; Seattle, WA
-- Richard Champlin MD - Chair, Department of Blood and Marrow
Transplantation at the University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center;
Houston, TX. He is Past President of Center for International Blood and
Marrow Transplant Research and was the founding President of the
American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation
-- Edwin M. Horwitz, MD, PhD - Director of Cell Therapy in the Division of
Oncology / Blood & Marrow Transplantation at Children's Hospital of
Philadelphia; Philadelphia, PA
-- Hillard M. Lazarus, MD, FACP - Professor of Medicine, Case Western
Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, The George & Edith Richman Professor
and Distinguished Scientist in Cancer Research, Director, Novel Cell
Therapy, University Hospitals Case Medical Center (UHCMC) Medical
Director, Cell Therapy Integrated Services (CTIS), National Center for
Regenerative Medicine (NCRM), UHCMC
-- Reuven Or MD - Director of the Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cancer
Immunology, Hadassah Medical Center; Ein Kerem, Israel
-- Jacob M Rowe - Chief, Department of Hematology, Shaare Zedek Medical
Center, Jerusalem. Emeritus Professor of Hemato-oncology, Bruce
Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa,
Israel. Adjunct Professor of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago,
Illinois, USA
Following positive data in the use of PLX cells in preclinical and clinical studies in stimulating the production of blood cells in diseased or injured bone marrow, the company accelerated the development of these cells for use in hematology. By assembling internationally acclaimed thought leaders in the field of hematology, the company stands ready to pursue indications in this area.
About Pluristem Therapeutics
Pluristem Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq:PSTI) (TASE:PLTR) is a leading developer of placenta-based cell therapies. The Company's patented PLX (PLacental eXpanded) cells are a drug delivery platform that releases a cocktail of therapeutic proteins in response to a host of local and systemic inflammatory and ischemic diseases. PLX cells are grown using the company's proprietary 3D micro-environmental technology and are an "off-the-shelf" product that requires no tissue matching prior to administration. Pluristem is focusing on the development of PLX cells administered locally to potentially treat systemic diseases and potentially obviating the need to use the intravenous route. |
