Tnuva
Pluristem has a landmark collaboration with Tnuva Group, Israel’s largest food producer, to establish a cultured food platform. The collaboration uniquely combines Pluristem’s expertise in mass-scale, cost-effective, and consistent cell production with Tnuva’s food industry prowess in consumer branding, end-product development, and marketing. The collaboration started with the incorporation of a new company (“NewCo”), that will receive exclusive, global, royalty bearing licensing rights to use Pluristem’s proprietary technology, intellectual property and knowhow, to be used in the field of cultured meat. NewCo intends to present its technology Proof of Concept in 2022, with the goal of launching its first raw cultured meat product in 2023. The collaboration may expand to cultured dairy and fish products by establishing separate, new ventures.
NASA
Pluristem has a collaboration with NASA’s Ames Research Center to evaluate the potential of Pluristem’s PLX cell therapies in preventing and treating medical conditions caused during space missions. Dr. Ruth Globus of NASA’s Ames Research Center, in California’s Silicon Valley, has been awarded a 2019 NASA Ames Research Innovation Award (ARIA) for the collaboration with Pluristem. The project, titled “Therapeutic Stromal Cells for Health in Space”, has been selected to preclinically evaluate the potential of Pluristem’s PLX cell therapies in preventing and treating medical conditions caused during space missions, including indications relating to blood, bone, muscle, brain and heart.
U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH)
The U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), a part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), conducted studies in large animals to evaluate dosing for PLX-R18 as a medical counter measure in the treatment of the hematologic component of Acute Radiation Syndrome (ARS). The NIAID is supporting and collaborating on the dosing studies, and previously supported and completed two preclinical studies of PLX-R18 as a potential treatment for the hematologic syndrome of ARS, with those studies showing a substantial and statistically significant increase in the survival of irradiated rodents treated with PLX-R18 versus placebo, and revealing the underlying mechanism of action of our cells in this indication.
U.S. Department of Defense (DOD)
A pilot study of Pluristem’s PLX-R18 cell therapy was initiated by the U.S. Department of Defense’s (DOD) Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute (AFRRI), part of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU). The study examined the effectiveness of PLX-R18 as a treatment for Acute Radiation Syndrome (ARS) prior to exposure to radiation.
A series of animal studies was conducted, administering PLX-R18 24 hours before and 72 hours after exposure. Results showed significant increase in survival rates, with 74% survival in the treated group versus only 4% survival in the placebo group. Study data also show an increase in recovery of blood lineages (platelets, neutrophils, white blood cells, and lymphocytes) and a favorable safety profile. Furthermore, histopathological analysis and hematopoietic progenitor clonogenic assay of tissues collected show a significant increase in bone marrow cell numbers and improved regenerative capability into all blood lineages.
Chart Industries
Pluristem entered into a license agreement with a subsidiary of Chart Industries, Inc. for its thawing device for cell-based therapies. Per the terms of the agreement, Chart holds exclusive rights to manufacture and market the thawing device in all territories worldwide, excluding China, with Pluristem receiving royalties from sales of the product and supply of an agreed number of devices. Pluristem’s point-of-care thawing device technology is designed to allow for the precise and automated thawing of cells in a controlled and monitored environment, and is expected to result in the highest levels of cell viability and quality. The technology includes many advanced unique proprietary features which were designed to result in the leading thawing devices on the market.
Thermo Fisher Scientific
A strategic collaboration with Thermo Fisher Scientific was signed to advance fundamental knowledge of cell therapy industrialization and to improve quality control of the end-to-end supply chain. The collaboration combines Thermo Fisher’s experience in cell therapy development and bioproduction scaleup with Pluristem’s expertise in cell therapy manufacturing, clinical development and quality control. Together, the companies hope to transform cell therapy manufacturing into a large-scale, high-capacity industry that will enable the production of millions of therapeutic doses of regenerative medicines.
Cha Biotech
Pluristem has an exclusive out-license and strategic partnership agreement with Cha Biotech (Kosdaq:CHA) for the development and use of PLX-PAD in Critical Limb Ischemia (CLI), and Intermediate Claudication (IC), with rights exclusively in South Korea. Cha Biotech will perform and fund clinical trials in South Korea under the supervision of the Korea Food & Drug Administration (KFDA). Upon a regulatory approval for a PLX product in South Korea, Pluristem and Cha have agreed to establish a joint venture (JV) co-owned by the parties to commercialize PLX cell products in South Korea.
kENUP Foundation
kENUP Foundation, a non-profit public benefit foundation promoting research-based innovation with public and societal benefit, partnered with Pluristem to facilitate expansion of the company’s activity in Europe. As such, kENUP initiated an agreement between Pluristem and the European Investment Bank (EIB), securing €50 million in non-dilutive financing from the EIB to support Pluristem’s COVID-19 project and other clinical programs.
kENUP develops projects to pursue market-leading positions for European innovation businesses. kENUP is a not-for-profit organization established as a foundation in the Republic of Malta in 2014.
Abu Dhabi Stem Cells Center (ADSCC)
Pluristem signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Abu Dhabi Stem Cells Center (ADSCC), a specialist healthcare center focused on cell therapy and regenerative medicine. The collaboration aims to capitalize on each company’s respective areas of expertise in cell therapies to advance regenerative medicine development. The agreement allows for exchange of research results, samples sharing, joint usage of equipment and testing, and other essential activities related to advancing the treatment and research of cell therapies for a broad range of medical conditions.
The first joint project brings together the expertise and knowledge of Pluristem and ADSCC to advance a potential COVID-19 treatment. Further discussions for additional projects are underway, including potential collaboration for chronic Graft versus Host Disease (cGvHD), a life-threatening immune response of transplanted donor stem cells against the host (recipient patient). For further information click here.
Academic Partners
Pluristem has been privileged to conduct studies of PLX cells in collaboration with renowned researchers at internationally recognized institutions. For further information click here.