NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Pluristem
Therapeutics Inc. (NasdaqCM: PSTI;
DAX: PJT), a bio-therapeutics company
dedicated to the commercialization of
unrelated donor-patient (allogeneic) cell therapy products for a variety of
disorders, announced today that Edwin M.
Horwitz, MD, PhD,
Chairman of
Pluristem’s Scientific Advisory Board,
has been invited to present at the 19th
Israeli Medical Association (IMA)
World
Fellowship International Conference
in Tel Aviv, Israel on Wednesday April
22, 2009.
Dr. Horwitz’s presentation is entitled
“Cytokines as the Major Mechanism of MSC
Clinical Activity: Expanding the
Spectrum of Cell Therapy”.
“The
IMA’s invitation to Dr. Horwitz suggests
the medical community is interested in
learning more about the potentially
promising therapeutic effects of stem
cells, and in particular Pluristem’s
mesenchymal-like stem cells (MSCs)”,
said Zami
Aberman, Chairman, President and CEO of
Pluristem. “Dr. Horwitz will
present evidence that MSCs exert their
therapeutic effect by the release of
cytokines rather than their ability to
differentiate”.
About
IMA
The Israeli Medical Association (IMA) is the official labor
organization representing physicians in
Israel and acts as an independent,
apolitical, professional organization,
which seeks to advance the cause of
physicians and medicine in Israel.
The objectives of the IMA are to advance the professional,
scientific and economic issues of its
members, to maintain a proper
professional and ethical standard in
medicine, and to concern itself with the
status of the individual physician and
the medical profession in Israel.
About Pluristem
Pluristem
Therapeutics Inc. 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 is
developing a pipeline of products,
stored ready-to-use, that are derived
from human placenta, a
non-controversial, non-embryonic, adult
stem cell source.
These
placental adherent stromal cells (ASCs)
are expanded in the Company's
proprietary
PluriXTM 3D bioreactor,
which imitates the natural 3D
microenvironment of these cells and does
not require supplemental growth factors
or other exogenous materials. Pluristem
believes that the resultant PLX (PLacental
eXpanded) cells’ efficacy may be related
to the secretion of cytokines or other
potent immune modulators. Furthermore,
PLX cells are immune privileged and have
immunomodulatory properties, thus
protecting the recipient from
immunological reactions that often
accompany transplantations.
Pluristem's first product in
development, PLX-PAD, is intended to
improve the quality of life of millions
of people suffering from peripheral
artery disease (PAD). The Company's
products in development also include
PLX-IBD, targeting Inflammatory Bowel
Disease (IBD); PLX-MS, targeting
Multiple Sclerosis; PLX-BMT, targeting
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; and
PLX-STROKE, targeting ischemic stroke.
Pluristem
has offices in the USA with research and
manufacturing facilities in Israel.
See our product animation on YouTube:
Animation
Safe Harbor Statement
This press release may contain
forward-looking statements within the
meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions
of the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995 and federal
securities laws. For example, when we
say that Dr. Horwitz will present
evidence that MSCs exert their
therapeutic effect by the release of
cytokines rather than their ability to
differentiate, we are using
forward-looking statements. These
forward-looking statements are based on
the current expectations of the
management of Pluristem only, and are
subject to a number of factors and
uncertainties that could cause actual
results to differ materially from those
described in the forward-looking
statements. The following factors, among
others, could cause actual results to
differ materially from those described
in the forward-looking statements:
changes in technology and market
requirements; our technology may not be
validated as we progress further and our
methods may not be accepted by the
scientific community; we may be unable
to retain or attract key employees whose
knowledge is essential to the
development of our products; unforeseen
scientific difficulties may develop with
our process; results in the laboratory
may not translate to equally good
results in real surgical settings; our
patents may not be sufficient; our
products may harm recipients; changes in
legislation; inability to timely develop
and introduce new technologies, products
and applications; loss of market share
and pressure on pricing resulting from
competition, which could cause the
actual results or performance of
Pluristem to differ materially from
those contemplated in such
forward-looking statements. Except as
otherwise required by law, Pluristem
undertakes no obligation to publicly
release any revisions to these
forward-looking statements to reflect
events or circumstances after the date
hereof or to reflect the occurrence of
unanticipated events. For a more
detailed description of the risk and
uncertainties affecting Pluristem,
reference is made to Pluristem's reports
filed from time to time with the
Securities and Exchange Commission.
For more
information visit our website at
www.pluristem.com, the content of
which is not part of this press release.
Contact:
Pluristem Therapeutics Inc.
William Prather RPh, MD
Sr. VP Corporate Development
303-883-4954
bill@pluristem.com
