With the need for bone marrow for transplants outpacing the donors available, finding a way to provide the tissue so desperately needed for cancer patients has become one of the next medical frontiers.Pluristem Life Systems Inc. (OTCBB: PLRS) has been working to use stem cells to produce products that can treat various disorders and cancers. From its research facilities in Israel, the company’s first planned product uses hematopoietic stem cells from umbilical cord blood to help address the need for matched tissue for bone marrow transplants. The company’s PLX-I will improve the engraftment process for those stem cells.
Pluristem says its products will be made from stem cells harvested from placenta. The company’s PluriX 3D bioreactor reportedly can mimic the structure of bone marrow without extra growth factors.
The company announced this month that its shares began trading on Europe’s Frankfurt Stock Exchange, under the symbol PJT.
“This new listing on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange gives our company more market exposure and provides our stock higher liquidity in two major equity markets,” Pluristem CEO Zami Aberman said in a press release. “We also believe it will enhance cooperation with European scientific companies and institutions in the development of our product portfolio.”
The company also announced it would be presenting two scientific posters at the 13th Annual Meeting of the International Society for Cellular Therapy, held June 24-27 in Sydney, Australia.
“We are receiving more attention from the scientific community as our research and development team continues to successfully show how innovative our Placenta eXpanded (PLX) cells are,” Aberman said. “These PLX cells are mesenchymal stem cells expanded in our proprietary 3D PluriX(TM) Bioreactor System.”
The opportunity comes on the heels of the company’s attendance at the 2007 BIO International Convention in Boston, held earlier this month. At the convention, the company had the opportunity to network with representatives of more than 1,100 biotech companies, academic institutions and other biotech-related organizations.
“These venues provide us with several opportunities to interact with researchers, laboratory professional, physicians, regulatory specialists, business leaders, investments professionals and business colleagues, all working or interested in the cellular therapy sector,” Abelman said.
