HAIFA, Israel—Pluristem Therapeutics Inc. and the Abu Dhabi Stem Cells Center (ADSCC) have revealed their first joint projects in a presentation at the Malta Conferences Foundation, a global conference supported by the kENUP Foundation.
“The Malta Conferences are the only platform in the world where scientists from 15 Middle East countries, Morocco and Pakistan can get together under the same roof with several Nobel Laureates,” said Prof. Zafra Lerman, president of the Malta Conferences Foundation. “They develop collaborations and friendship which overcome the chasms of distrust and intolerance.”
Pluristem and ADSCC jointly presented the new projects, which are part of a recently signed memorandum of understanding between the two companies. The collaboration is aimed at harnessing the power of regenerative medicine.
“We were very honored to unveil our first joint projects with the ADSCC at the Malta Conferences Foundation. We see our partnership as a movement between Israel and the UAE, which we hope will lay the foundation for future collaborations that will help potentially bring change to our region and the entire world,” noted Yaky Yanay, president and CEO of Pluristem. “As we work together to develop regenerative medicine for key unmet medical needs of benefit to patients around the world, we are excited for the future and its possibilities.”
The first joint project brings together the expertise and knowledge of Pluristem and ADSCC to advance a potential COVID-19 treatment. The project will involve the first-time administration of Pluristem’s PLX cells to COVID-19 patients, via a nebulizer.
The collaboration will allow ADSCC to expand its stem cell therapy options using Pluristem’s novel PLX cells, while enabling Pluristem to leverage ADSCC’s nebulizer administration experience to develop a new treatment delivery model for PLX cells. ADSCC has reported using nebulizers to effectively treat patients suffering from COVID-19 infection with stem cells sourced from the patient’s own blood.
“Embarking on this journey with Pluristem, to overcome one of this generation’s most complex medical challenges, marks an exciting new chapter full of possibilities when it comes to knowledge sharing and medical innovation. Our partnership speaks volumes about the power of collaboration between partners across previously divided borders. While we simply do not yet know the long-term impact, the novel coronavirus will have on recovered patients, by working together we believe that we are able to leverage the best medical technologies and minds in the region to develop solutions to prevent and treat the lingering symptoms and long-term complications that are emerging,” said Dr. Yendry Ventura, general manager of ADSCC.
Further discussions for additional projects are underway, including the potential for collaboration in chronic graft versus host disease.
The Malta Conferences Foundation’s mission is to address the shared desire to improve the quality of life and political stability in the Middle East by identifying unique opportunities for collaboration to meet the scientific and technological challenges of the region.
