Stabilized Stem Cells Designed to Treat Chronic Diseases

Treatment of several types of chronic diseases including inflammatory bowel disease, multiple sclerosis, critical limb ischemia, and others may become easier and more effective with the commercializing of a line of "off-the-shelf" stem cell products.

Pluristem Therapeutics (Denver, CO, USA; and Haifa, Israel) 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's ability to produce and market therapeutic stem cells is based on its proprietary bioreactor PluriX 3D system. This bioreactor technique enables the expansion of adherent stromal cell (ASC) populations in a microenvironment resembling the architecture of natural bone marrow. The unique microenvironment enables expansion of placental ASCs to very high densities. Since Pluistem's ASC are derived from placental and not embryonic tissue, they are not controversial. The bioreactor cell expansion process does not require exogenous biologics or chemicals, which eliminates the risk of genetic instability and allows for the safer expansion of cells.

ASCs are multipotent adult stem cells that have strong anti-inflammatory properties and can regenerate and repair damaged tissue. When ASCs receive appropriate biochemical and biomechanical signals they can differentiate into various tissues such as nerve, bone, muscle, fat, tendon, ligament, cartilage, and bone marrow stroma. ASCs also have low immunogenicity, are not rejected by the patient's immune system and, therefore, do not require HLA matching.

A series of [U.S.] Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) sanctioned clinical trials of Pluristem's products are set to begin soon at multiple locations in the United States.

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Pluristem Therapeutics