Oct 18 2007, 8:00 AM EST
News source: Business Wire
Pluristem Life Systems, Inc. (OTCBB:PLRS) (DAX:PJT), a bio-therapeutics Company dedicated to the commercialization of non-personalized (allogeneic) cell therapy products for a variety of malignant, degenerative and auto-immune indications, announced today that results from Fraunhofer Institute's ongoing in vivo study, utilizing Pluristem's proprietary PLacenta eXpanded (PLX) cells in treating ischemic stroke, showed initial promise as a potential therapy to treat stroke victims. PLX cells are mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) obtained from the placenta and expanded using Pluristem's proprietary 3D PluriX(TM) technology.
Fraunhofer Institute's scientists systemically injected PLX cells into spontaneously hypertensive rats that had undergone middle cerebral artery occlusion, a commonly accepted ischemic stroke model. At the current stage, this animal trial shows a significant advantage in functional recovery over a control group that did not receive PLX cells.
Zami Aberman, Pluristem's President and CEO said: "We are very excited about the results and believe that utilizing our PLX product may successfully treat millions of ischemic stroke patients and lead to a multi-billion dollar market. This independent study, together with the previously announced favorable pre-clinical results of PLX cells to treat limb ischemia and Parkinson's disease, give us a robust pipe line for developing new therapeutic products following the foreseeable submission of the IND for treatment of blood cancers."
The trial is conducted under the supervision of Professor Frank Emmrich, Head of the Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology (IZI), Leipzig, Germany, a branch of the Fraunhofer Society.
Prof. Frank Emmrich stated, "PLX cells show potential to become a treatment to functionally recover from a stroke. However, the preliminary findings have to be confirmed and the running experimental series have to be completed before a final statement can be made. Additional optimization surrounding the administration of PLX cells will be required to supply clear evidence that PLX cells may help patients with ischemic stroke."
Pluristem will present results of pre-clinical studies of its PLX cells today, at the "3rd World Congress on Regenerative Medicine" in Leipzig, Germany.
About Ischemic stroke
Ischemic stroke accounts for approximately 90% of all stroke cases and is caused when an artery to the brain becomes blocked causing a sudden disruption of blood flow. Current estimates suggest ischemic stroke affects approximately 2 million patients annually worldwide with a large percentage dying or becoming permanently disabled. Industry leaders have estimated the potential market for treating ischemic stroke to be approximately $4 billion.
About Pluristem
Pluristem Life Systems, Inc. is a Company dedicated to the commercialization of non-personalized (allogeneic) stem cell therapy products for the treatment of numerous severe degenerative, malignant and autoimmune disorders. The Company's first planned product, PLX-I, targets a $2 billion market and is intended to resolve 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 (CB).
Pluristem's products are derived from mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) obtained from the placenta and expanded in the Company's proprietary PluriX(TM) 3D bioreactor that imitates the natural microstructure of bone marrow and does not require supplemental growth factors, cytokines or other exogenous materials. Pluristem believes the resultant expanded cells, termed PLX cells, are multipotent and able to differentiate into a variety of cell types as well as being immune-privileged to protect the recipient fro
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