Pluristem Therapeutics Ltd. (Nasdaq:PSTI; DAX: PJT: PLTR), which develops placenta-based cell therapy products, is arousing interest on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange today after announcing what it terms "strong positive data" from a preclinical study of PLX-R18 cells to improve outcomes of bone marrow transplantation. The company's share price is currently up nearly 5%.
In the study, conducted in conjunction with Hadassah Medical Center's Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cancer Immunotherapy, mice with damaged bone marrow who received intramuscular injections of PLX-R18 cells together with a bone marrow transplant had significantly faster recovery of blood cell production compared to those who received a placebo with the bone marrow transplant.
A rapid return to normal blood cell counts is critical for people who require a transplant to replace dysfunctional bone marrow because of diseases such as leukemia or other blood cancers. PLX-R18, Pluristem's second product, is being developed to treat a range of hematologic indications including bone marrow deficiency and complications of bone marrow and umbilical cord blood transplantation.
Alongside the study at Hadassah, a preliminary study was conducted by Hillard M. Lazarus, MD, a Professor of Medicine in the Department of Hematology and Oncology at Case Western Reserve University. The study was part of ongoing research there to test PLX-R18 for use in umbilical cord blood stem cell transplantation.
Professor Reuven Or, Director of the Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cancer Immunotherapy at Hadassah Medical Center and the study's Principal Investigator said, "We were particularly encouraged to see that the administration of PLX-R18 cells resulted in the greatest early improvement when using a lower dose of bone marrow cells. This means we could one day potentially achieve success with lower bone marrow transplant doses, thus addressing both treatment costs and donor availability."
Pluristem chairman and CEO Zami Aberman said, "Improving the outcomes of bone marrow and umbilical cord blood transplantation can have a significant impact on the treatment of a range of diseases, from blood cancers to immune and genetic disorders. We are happy with the data from preclinical studies of PLX-R18 in the context of transplantation and look forward to continuing our work in these indications with both Hadassah Medical Center and Case Western University."
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on March 3, 2015
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