Message #22 From:
Stock News Bot Date: October 31, 2006 04:30:00 AM
PLRS News Pluristem Expects to Submit Pre-IND Document to FDA by End of 2006
HAIFA, Israel--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Pluristem Life Systems, Inc. (OTCBB: PLRS), a cell therapy company
dedicated to the commercialization of stem cell products, today
announced that it expects to submit the Pre-Investigational New Drug
(Pre-IND) document describing the suggested clinical trial and the
preclinical data to the FDA by the end of the 4th quarter Of 2006.
Approval of the Pre-IND by the FDA precedes initiation of Phase I trials.
Pluristem recently presented a Pre-Pre-IND to the Center for Biologics
Evaluation and Research (CBER), Office of Cellular, Tissue and Gene
Therapies, a department in the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The
Pre-Pre-IND documented the final results of an animal model study using
the Company's innovative adjuvant cell therapy product based on PLacenta
eXpanded Mesenchymal cells (PLX-I).
In the Pre-Pre-IND conference call following the submission of the
document, the FDA team of experts and the Pluristem FDA team discussed
the proposed structure of the clinical trial, and the pre-clinical data
required to approve the initiation of Phase I clinical trials of PLX-I.
The FDA and Pluristem agreed that the proposed structure of Pluristem’s
Phase I study should document the safe use of PLX-I cells when combined
with Umbilical Cord Blood (UCB), and how the combination could improve
the treatment of blood disorders.
In the upcoming Pre-IND filing, Pluristem will present to the FDA CBER
team the results of an additional agreed upon pre-clinical Animal trial.
This additional pre-clinical animal trial will be performed on
immune-deficient irradiated NOD-SCID mice which will be co-implanted
with un-purified human umbilical cord blood cells and PLX-I. The
conclusions will be held in comparison to Pluristem’s
published Pre-clinical results that used CD34+ purified from human
umbilical cord blood cells. This additional trial will determine the
final structure of the pre-clinical data required for FDA approval of
the IND application.
Mr. Zami Aberman, Pluristem CEO, stated: “We
would like to thank the CBER team for the very productive discussion. We
expect to demonstrate that the co-transplantation of PLX-I cell types
are a promising manipulation that improves cord blood performance during
the replacement of bone marrow transplants in adults. I believe that
this new pre-clinical animal trial will help to finalize the required
pre-clinical studies prior to moving to Phase I trials."
About Pluristem
Pluristem Life Systems, Inc. is a life sciences driven company that is
developing and commercializing stem cell expansion technology products
for the treatment of severe blood disorders. The Company is discovering
and developing cell-based therapeutics that utilizes adult stem cells
expanded in a proprietary bioreactor mimicking different naturally
occurring physiological environments. Pluristem expects its first
products to be cell grafts that will provide an efficient and superior
alternative to the standard procedure of bone marrow transplantation.
Its first adult stem cell product targets a critical global shortfall of
matched tissue for bone marrow transplantation since bone marrow
transplantation is often the only cure for patients suffering from
leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma and many other hematological diseases. The
Company has made a strategic decision to work only with adult stem cells
since the practical use of embryonic stem cells is severely restricted
by various religious, ethical and legal considerations.
This press release contains statements, which may constitute
"forward-looking statements" regarding our intent, belief or current
expectations. Forward-looking statements in this release include
statements: Pluristem expects to submit their Pre-Investigational New
Drug (Pre-IND) Application to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) by
the end of the 4th Quarter, the FDA and
Pluristem agreed that the proposed structure of Pluristem’s
Phase I study should document the safe use of PLX-I cells when combined
with Umbilical Cord Blood (UCB), and how the combination could improve
the treatment of blood disorders, in the upcoming Pre-IND filing, the
additional trial will determine the final structure of the pre-clinical
data required for FDA approval of the Pre-IND application, we expect to
demonstrate that the co-transplantation of PLX-I cell types are a
promising manipulation that improves cord blood performance during the
replacement of bone marrow transplants in adults, that this new
pre-clinical animal trial will help to finalize the required
pre-clinical studies prior to moving to Phase 1 trials, the Company is
discovering and developing cell-based therapeutics that utilizes adult
stem cells expanded in a proprietary bioreactor mimicking different
naturally occurring physiological environments, Pluristem expects its
first products to be cell grafts that will provide an efficient and
superior alternative to the standard procedure of bone marrow
transplantation. Its first adult stem cell product is intended to target
a critical global shortfall of matched tissue for bone marrow
transplantation since bone marrow transplantation is often the only cure
for patients suffering from leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma and many other
hematological diseases. Factors which may significantly change or
prevent our forward looking statements from fruition include that we may
be unsuccessful in developing any products; that our technology may not
be validated as we progress further and our methods may not be accepted
by the scientific community; that we are unable to retain or attract key
employees whose knowledge is essential to the development of our
products; that unforeseen scientific difficulties develop with our
process; that results in the laboratory do not translate to equally good
results in real surgical settings; that our patents are not sufficient
to protect essential aspects of our technology; that competitors may
invent better technology; that our products may not work as well as
hoped or worse, that our products may harm recipients; and that we may
not be able raise funds for development or working capital when we
require it. As well, our products may never develop into useful products
and even if they do, they may not be approved for sale to the public.
For further risk factors see the Company's latest 10-KSB filed with the
SEC.