Pluristem Therapeutics

Pluristem Therapeutics Inc.
Public
Traded as NASDAQ: PSTI
TASE: PSTI
FWB: PJTA
Industry Biotechnology
Founded May 11, 2001 (2001-05-11)
Founder Shai Meretzki
Headquarters Haifa, Israel
Key people
Zami Aberman (Chairman and CEO, 2005–)
Revenue 0 (2010)
₪ –30.39 million (2010)
Total assets ₪ 27.97 million (2010)
Website www.pluristem.com
Footnotes / references
[1]
Pluristem is based in Matam Technology Park in Haifa.

Pluristem Therapeutics is an Israeli company engaged in the development of human placental adherent stromal cells for commercial use in disease treatment.[2] According to the company's website, it extracts adult stem cells exclusively from postnatal placentas.[3] In 2012 the company claimed that a procedure involving a stem cell treatment developed by Pluristem saved the life of a 7-year-old girl suffering from bone marrow aplasia. However, the girl reportedly died four months later.[4]

Corporate history

Pluristem was founded in 2001 by Shai Meretzki of the Technion, who made use of stem cell patents he had developed with colleagues from the Weizmann Institute of Science.[5][6] In 2003, the NASDAQ-listed shell company A1 Software acquired all shares and patents belonging to Pluristem and changed its name to Pluristem Life Systems.[7][8] In 2007 the name was changed again, this time to Pluristem Therapeutics Inc.[5] Pluristem's shares are traded on the NASDAQ exchange and the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, as well as on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.

In 2007 Pluristem entered into a collaborative research agreement with the Charité medical school in Berlin for a period of five years. In 2012 Pluristem announced that the agreement had been renewed until 2017.[9] Pluristem was awarded an NIS9 million (US$2.4 million) grant from the Office of the Chief Scientist of Israel in January 2012.[10] In April of the same year the company announced the receipt of an additional grant from the Chief Scientist, this time of NIS11.8 million (US$3.2 million).[11][12]

Products

Pluristem is in the process of clinically testing the use of its PLX (PLacental eXpanded) cells to treat peripheral arterial disease (PAD).[13] In April 2012 Pluristem announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized Phase II clinical trials for its PLX-PAD treatment appertaining to intermittent claudication.[14] On October 27, 2014, it was reported that Case Western Reserve University will conduct a preclinical study of PLX-RAD cells in umbilical cord blood transplants for the treatment of blood cancers and genetic diseases.[15]

The USFDA has conferred orphan drug status on Pluristem's PLX cells for the treatment of Buerger's disease (2011) and aplastic anemia (2013).[16]

Human applications

In May 2012 Pluristem reported that its experimental PLacental eXpanded cells were injected into the muscles of a 7-year-old Romanian girl undergoing treatment for bone marrow aplasia disease at the Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem. The girl had undergone two allogenic stem cell transplants since being admitted in August 2011, both of which failed to improve her condition. Two months thereafter, with the patient's condition deteriorating rapidly, the Director of Bone Marrow Transplantation, Cell Therapy and Transplantation Research Center at Hadassah felt that all available options had been exhausted and turned to Pluristem's PLX cells. The Helsinki committee at Israel's Ministry of Health approved the procedure under compassionate use. According to Pluristem CEO Zami Aberman, it was the first time ever that stem cells were injected into the muscle rather than into the body's blood system. Pluristem announced that the treatment led to a significant increase in the girl's red cells, white cells and platelets, effecting a reverse in her condition.[17][18][19][20][21] She was released from the hospital soon after Pluristem's announcement.[22]

In September 2012 Pluristem reported saving the life of a third bone marrow disease patient using its PLacental eXpanded cell treatment, again at Jerusalem's Hadassah Medical Center and again under the terms of compassionate use. The 45-year-old patient suffered from acute myeloid leukemia and pancytopenia, and his condition was determined to be life-threatening. After two intramuscular injections of Pluristem's PLX cells, the patient's condition improved significantly and he was released from the hospital.[23]

See also

References

  1. "TASE Site – Profile". Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. 2011. Retrieved 22 September 2011.
  2. "Pluristem Therapeutics Inc (PSTI:NASDAQ CM)". Bloomberg Businessweek. Retrieved 22 September 2011. The company engages in the development of a pipeline of products, which are derived from human placenta, a non-controversial, non-embryonic, and adult stromal cell source.
  3. "Pluristem: Who we are". Pluristem. Retrieved 22 September 2011. Pluristem has made the strategic decision to work only with adult stem cells, purified from the placenta after birth and, therefore, not subject to ethical or religious controversy.
  4. "Girl Dies as Pluristem Sells on Gains With Miracle Cells". Bloomberg. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  5. 1 2 "PSTI Company Profile". MarketWatch. Retrieved 22 September 2011.
  6. Cohen, Omri (9 April 2008). פלוריסטם דיווחה על הצלחת ניסוי בתרופה לטיפול בשבץ מוחי בעזרת תאי גזע - והמניה קפצה ב-150% [Pluristem reports success in clinical trial involving drug for treating stroke using stem cells - stock soars 150%]. Haaretz (in Hebrew). Retrieved 22 September 2011. מרצקי הקים את פלוריסטם על בסיס פטנטים שפיתח עם פרופ' דב ציפורי ופרופ' אבינועם כדורי ממכון ויצמן.
  7. Ovadia, Avishay (2 July 2003). "Stem cell technology co Pluristem enters Wall Street by back door". Globes. Retrieved 22 September 2011. All the shares in the company have been purchased by a stock market shell by the name of A1 Software, which also recently bought all the patent and know-how rights on the technology of Dr. Shai Meretzki and others at the Technion and the Weizmann Institute relating to stem cell expansion.
  8. "פלוריסיסטם הישראלית נכנסת לוול-סטריט בדלת האחורית: נרכשה על-ידי השלד הבורסאי [A1] Software" [Israeli Pluristem enters Wall Street by back door: Acquired by shell company A1 Software]. Globes (in Hebrew). 1 July 2011. Retrieved 22 September 2011.
  9. "Pluristem renews German collaboration". Globes. 21 August 2012.
  10. "Pluristem wins NIS 9m Chief Scientist grant". Globes. 18 January 2012. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
  11. Solomon, Shoshanna (30 April 2012). "Pluristem Heads for Two-Month High on $3.2 Million Israeli Grant". Bloomberg. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
  12. "Stem cell co Pluristem awarded $3.1m chief scientist grant". Globes. 1 May 2012. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
  13. "PSTI Profile". Yahoo! Finance. Retrieved 22 September 2011. The company provides PLX-PAD that has completed Phase I clinical trials for people suffering from peripheral artery disease.
  14. Staley, Eddie (17 April 2012). "Pluristem Receives U.S. FDA Clearance for Phase II Clinical Trial in Intermittent Claudication". Benzinga. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
  15. http://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2014/10/27/676575/10104511/en/Case-Western-Reserve-University-to-Study-Pluristem-s-PLX-RAD-Cells-in-Umbilical-Cord-Blood-Transplants-for-the-Treatment-of-Blood-Cancers-and-Genetic-Diseases.html
  16. "Pluristem obtains orphan drug status for aplastic anemia treatment". Globes. 21 February 2013. Retrieved 28 February 2013.
  17. Dey, Esha (9 May 2012). "Pluristem stem cell therapy saves a patient, shares jump". The Baltimore Sun. Reuters. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
  18. "Pluristem stem cells save girl's life". Globes. 9 May 2012. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
  19. איך הצילו תאי הגזע של פלוריסטם את חייה של ילדה בת 7? [How did Pluristem's stem cells save the life of a 7-year-old girl?]. Calcalist (in Hebrew). 9 May 2012. Retrieved 9 May 2012. התאים, שפיתחה חברת פלוריסטם הישראלית, הוזרקו לילדה בת 7 שהגיעה למרכז ההשתלות בבית החולים הדסה עין כרם מרומניה, כשהיא סובלת ממחלה חשוכת מרפא המונעת התחדשות של תאי מח העצם.' 'בעקבות פניית הרופא המטפל לחברת פלוריסטם ובאישור ועדת הלסינקי של משרד הבריאות, קיבלה הילדה, המאושפזת בימים אלה בבית החולים הדסה עין כרם, טיפול ניסיוני בתאי גזע מהשלייה, שפותחו בפלוריסטם.
  20. Wickman, Allie (9 May 2012). "From Earlier, Compassionate Use of Pluristem's PLX Cells Saves the Life of a Child After Bone Marrow Transplantation Failure". Benzinga. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
  21. Sela, Rakefet (9 May 2012). טיפול בתאי גזע מהשלייה של פלוריסטם הציל את חייה של ילדה [Stem cell treatment from Pluristem's placenta saved the life of a girl]. Bizportal (in Hebrew). Retrieved 9 May 2012. 'אנחנו הזרקנו את התאים בפעם הראשונה בעולם לתוך השריר ולא תוך מערכת הדם כמקובל בתרופות תאי גזע, זאת בחיל ורעדה לאחר שראינו תוצאות טובות בניסויים על עכברים.'
  22. Goldman, Dudi (12 May 2012). "Israeli innovation saves Romanian girl's life". Ynetnews. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
  23. "Pluristem stem cells save 3rd bone marrow disease patient". Globes. 5 September 2012. Retrieved 10 September 2012.

External links

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