Mit PLURISTEM THERAPEUTICS findet ein weiteres israelisches Unternehmen Platz auf meiner entsprechenden speziellen Watch - List !
Allgemeine Infos über das Unternehmen.
Pluristem Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: PSTI; DAX: PJT) is a bio-therapeutics company dedicated to the commercialization of allogeneic (non-personalized) cell therapy products for the treatment of a variety of severe degenerative, ischemic and autoimmune disorders where current therapies are unavailable or inadequate.
PLX-PAD, Pluristem’s first product, targets an annual $4 billion market and is intended to treat patients suffering from the critical stage of peripheral artery disease (PAD), manifesting as limb ischemia. PAD affects millions of patients whose symptoms stem from a decrease in blood supply primarily to the lower extremities. PAD is aggravated by conditions such as atherosclerosis, diabetes and smoking. PLX-PAD targets those patients where traditional medical and surgical therapies have not helped and are potentially facing continued symptoms or amputation. In animal studies PLX-PAD has shown to significantly increase the number of new blood vessels (angiogenesis) and blood flow in the involved extremity. Pluristem plans for human studies to begin later in 2008.
PLX-BMT, Pluristem’s second product, targets an annual $2 billion market and is intended to resolve the global shortfall of matched hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) for bone marrow transplantation (BMT). Approximately 60% of the 150,000 patients diagnosed annually with leukemia and other hematological malignancies are unable to find a suitable bone marrow donor match and are left with no reasonable therapeutic alternatives. In animals PLX-BMT, combined with the HSCs found in umbilical cord blood (UCB), has been shown to significantly increase the engraftment of these HSCs in bone marrow. Therefore, Pluristem believes it has potentially found an alternative to bone marrow transplantation by using UCB with PLX-BMT, an off-the-shelf product that requires no matching. Pluristem expects human trials to begin in early 2009.
PLX-STROKE targets an annual $4 billion market and shows potential to become a new treatment for the functional recovery from an ischemic stroke. PLX-MS targets an annual $5.4 billion market and shows potential for the treatment of Multiple Sclerosis, an autoimmune disorder in which the immune system attacks the central nervous system (CNS), leading to demyelination. MS may cause numerous physical and mental symptoms, and often progresses to physical and cognitive disability. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that over 2.5 million people globally suffer from MS.
PLX-IBD targets an annual $2 billion market and shows potential for the treatment of Ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, known collectively as Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), which currently affects 0.5-1% of the Western world's population. Pluristem believes its PLX cells are also potentially useful for other indications such as organ transplantation, orthopedic injuries and preventing radiation sickness. Pluristem’s pipeline of products begins as mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) that are derived from the human placenta, an organ that has traditionally been considered medical waste after childbirth and a non-embryonic, non-controversial source of cells. Pluristem’s placental-derived MSCs are then grown in a unique and proprietary three-dimensional (3D) microenvironment, termed the Pluristem PluriX™ 3D bioreactor, without the addition of growth factors or other adulterants. The MSCs derived from this process are called PLacental eXpanded or PLX cells. Pluristem believes these cells are multi-potent and able to differentiate into a variety of cell types. Recent evidence also suggests their efficacy may be related to the secretion of cytokines or other potent immune modulators. Furthermore, these PLX cells are immune-privileged and possess immunomodulatory properties, thus protecting the recipient from immunological reactions that often accompany transplantations.
The PLX cells are stored “ready to use” with no histocompatibility matching required. Pluristem is an American public company that employs 25 talented, experienced individuals including three PhDs and an MD.
The Company has an office in Colorado with headquarters housing its research and development and FDA good manufacturing practices (GMP)-approved facilities in Haifa, Israel.
For further information, contact: William R. Prather RPh, MD Sr. VP Corporate Development +1-303-883-4954 bill@pluristem.com
