Pluristem Therapeutics Ltd. (Nasdaq:PSTI; DAX: PJT: PLTR) today announced success in preclinical and in vitro studies of its Placental eXpanded (PLX) placenta-based cells for the reduction of fibrotic processes.
Fibrosis is the overgrowth, hardening, and/or scarring of various tissues as the end result of chronic inflammation, caused by chronic infections, autoimmune reactions, allergic responses, chemical and radiation exposure, or injury. Fibrosis can occur in virtually any organ, including the heart, liver, kidney and lung.
"Demonstrating that our PLX cells can potentially act as potent anti-fibrotic agents positions us to penetrate several multi-billion dollar markets where fibrosis is the end stage of an inflammatory process," said Pluristem chairman and CEO Zami Aberman. "We will continue our research into this important characteristic of our cells that will enable us to add the prevention of fibrosis to our growing list of indications for our PLX cells."
The basis for Pluristem's hypothesis that PLX cells act as anti-fibrotic agents comes from animal models given Bleomycin, an anti-cancer agent, known to induce pulmonary fibrosis and widely used to study the mechanisms involved in fibrogenesis. Bleomycin induces chromosomal DNA strands to break, which results in pulmonary inflammation and subsequent fibrosis.
In the experiments, 8-10 week old male mice were randomized to receive Bleomycin alone or Bleomycin plus PLX cells administered into the trachea. Mice that received only Bleomycin served as controls. Pertinent results at 21 days include statistically significant improvement in oxygen saturation, monitored on a weekly basis during the study and a significant reduction in the collagen deposition in the lungs when examined histologically. This information may suggest that the PLX cells are reactive to the fibrotic environment.
Pluristem basic and preclinical research manager Lena Pinzur will present data at the 3rd Annual Meeting of the Israel Society for Placenta Research tomorrow.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on October 17, 2012
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