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BCLI News BrainStorm Targets Treatment of Stroke with its Adult Stem Cell Technology

"We believe that our technology can play an important role in combating the effects of stroke, which is the most common life-threatening neurological disease. Addressing this major unmet medical need represents a further leveraging of our core technology, which has already shown much promise with successful pre-clinical studies in animal models with Parkinson's," said BrainStorm's COO & Principal Executive Officer, Yoram Drucker.

According to the World Health Organization, over 15 million people worldwide suffer a stroke every year; about 5.5 million of them are left permanently disabled, and upwards of another 6 million die from the event. A stroke occurs when the brain is deprived of its blood supply either by a blood clot that blocks a blood vessel (ischemic stroke) or a blood vessel that ruptures in the brain, leaking blood and damaging tissue (hemorrhagic stroke). Stroke is now the third-leading cause of death in the United States and is becoming even more deadly. Obesity, poor diets, smoking and physical inactivity--the leading causes of both heart attack and stroke--are now being seen at an alarmingly early age. Because of the onset of these risk factors at an earlier age and the growing population of elderly people, the incidence of stroke in the seven major global markets is expected to increase over the next ten years.

"We will be testing in animal models of stroke our propriety technology for generating differentiated cells that produce neurotrophic factors," said Chief Scientist Dr. Daniel Offen. "We expect that the transplantation of cells that secrete neurotrophic factors will help to restore damaged neurons, slow down the progression of cell death and prevent further degeneration in the brain," he added.

BrainStorm has previously demonstrated that its bone marrow stem cell technology can successfully differentiate adult stem cells into astrocyte-like cells with the capacity to produce and secrete a large variety of neurotrophic factors. Pre-clinical studies have shown that transplanting the astrocyte-like cells into animal models of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's, resulted in a significant therapeutic improvement.

About BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics Inc.

BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics Inc. is an emerging company developing adult stem cell therapeutic products, derived from autologous (self) bone marrow cells, for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. The NurOwn(TM) patent pending technology is based on discoveries made by the scientific team led by prominent neurologist Professor Eldad Melamed, Head of Neurology at Rabin Medical Center, and expert cell biologist Dr. Daniel Offen, Head of the Neuroscience Laboratory at the Felsenstein Medical Research Center of Tel-Aviv University. The technology allows for the differentiation of bone marrow-derived stem cells into functional neurons and astrocytes, as demonstrated in animal models. The Company holds rights to develop and commercialize the technology through an exclusive, worldwide licensing agreement with Ramot at Tel Aviv University Ltd., the technology transfer company of Tel-Aviv University. The Company's initial focus is on Parkinson's disease, although its technology has promise for treating several others diseases including MS, ALS, Huntington's disease and stroke.

About Stem Cell Therapy

Stem cells are non-specialized cells with a remarkable potential for both self-renewal and differentiation into cell types with a specialized function, such as muscle, blood or brain cells. Stem cells can be harvested from fetal or embryonic tissue or from adult tissue reservoirs such as bone marrow. Use of embryonic stem cells is at the center of significant ethical and moral debate. In contrast, use of adult stem cells does not provoke the same moral or political controversy. Stem cell therapy aims to "cure" disease by replacing the diseased cells with healthy cells derived from stem cells. This approach has the potential to revolutionize medicine and, if successful, the implied commercial opportunities are great. Currently, scientists are exploring both embryonic stem cells (ESC) and adult stem cells (ASC) as the potential basis for multiple cell therapy products.

Safe Harbor Statement

Statements in this announcement other than historical data and information constitute "forward-looking statements" and involve risks and uncertainties that could cause BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics Inc.'s actual results to differ materially from those stated or implied by such forward-looking statements. The potential risks and uncertainties include, among others, risks associated with BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics Inc.'s limited operating history, history of losses and expectation to incur losses for the foreseeable future; limited cash resources and its need to raise additional capital to execute on its business plan and continue operations; transition issues related to the departure of its CEO; dependence on its license to Ramot's technology and ability to meet its funding and payment obligations included in such license agreement; ability, together with its licensor, to adequately protect the NurOwn(TM) technology; dependence on key executives and on its scientific consultants; ability to identify, negotiate and successfully implement strategic partnering relationships; ability to complete clinical trials successfully and to obtain required regulatory approvals; competition with companies, some of which have greater resources and experience in developing and obtaining regulatory approval for treatments in BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics Inc.'s market; the limited public trading market for BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics Inc.'s stock which may never develop into an active market; and other factors detailed in BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics Inc.'s annual report on Form 10-KSB, quarterly reports on Form 10-QSB, current reports on Form 8-K and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission available at http://www.sec.gov/ or by request to the Company. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements made by us.