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An Israeli-developed cell-based product for treating the scourge of pulmonary hypertension will be hitting the market…

…and adding to the already VERY long list of lives saved by Israel…

Pluristem soars on agreement with United Therapeutics

United Therapeutics will use Pluristem’s PLacental eXpanded cells to develop and commercialize a treatment for pulmonary hypertension

Reprinted from globes.co.il

Pluristem Therapeutics Ltd. (Nasdaq:PSTI; DAX: PJT: PLTR) has signed an exclusive out-license agreement with United Therapeutics Corporation (Nasdaq: UTHR) for the use of Pluristem’s PLacental eXpanded (PLX) cells to develop and commercialize a cell-based product for the treatment of pulmonary hypertension (PH). United Therapeutics will receive exclusive worldwide licensing rights for the development and commercialization of the future product for treating PH patients. Pluristem will retain its intellectual property – the PLX cells – and all manufacturing rights. It will participate in the pre-clinical and clinical trial activities and provide the commercial grade product.

United Therapeutics will pay Pluristem an initial $7 million and milestone and other payments for a total of $55 million. Pluristem will also be reimbursed for costs of development and clinical activities. United Therapeutics will bear all the costs of conducting the clinical trials for this indication. Following commercialization, United Therapeutics will purchase commercial supplies from Pluristem at a specified margin over Pluristem’s cost, and it will also pay Pluristem specified royalties as a percentage from its gross profits generated from the developed product.

“This is an important milestone for our company, as it exemplifies our belief that Pluristem’s PLX cells are a platform technology that can be used for the treatment of numerous diseases. This agreement is in line with our strategy of being a state of the art cell manufacturer while maintaining all the production and Intellectual Property rights for future product candidates,” said Pluristem chairman and CEO Zami Aberman.

United Therapeutics president and CEO Roger Jeffs said, “Our mission to help patients suffering from pulmonary hypertension has led us to seek companies exhibiting innovative approaches and cutting edge technology, with whom we could partner for developing new therapies. Pluristem’s impressive results of their current clinical trials, their strong intellectual property and unique manufacturing capabilities, convinced us to select Pluristem as our partner in developing an important cell therapy for treating PH. We are excited to enter into this partnership and to work alongside Pluristem in advancing this exciting platform.”

Egypt decides to host a conference on blood diseases. Great Idea. So they invite doctors from one of the leading medical “powers” in the region, Israel.
The Israeli doctors graciously accept the invitation, so, naturally, the organizers decide to have top-notch Israeli doctors lead two of the medical education sessions at the conference.
What do the Egyptians do? Announce that, since Israelis are participating in their medical conference, they will boycott it…

Egypt Warmly Welcomes Israelis to Their Country

Having already cut off their nose to spite their face so many times in the past, I would think that this time, the Egyptians will have to find another facial feature to remove…

Oh yeah, by the way, Egypt has long been at peace with Israel…With friends like these…

Professors angry at Israeli participation in medical conference

Professors of hematology at the Qasr el-Aini, Ain Shams and Alexandria medical schools are angry that a number of Israeli professors are participating in a conference on blood diseases organized by a pharmaceutical company and being held in Cairo.

Reprinted from Almasryalyoum.com Abul Soud Mohamed, Mohamed Kamel

Doctor Mona el-Qasas, professor of hematology at the Qasr el-Aini Medical College, said that the organizers of the conference decided to invite the Israelis, “despite our vow that we would not participate in the conference if they were invited.”

“We agreed to participate after the organizers assured us that the Israelis would not be attending, only to be surprised when we received the conference’s schedule by email, indicating that two Israelis would be leading sessions of the conference,” el-Qasas said.

According to el-Qasas, one professor served 17 years in the Israeli army and retired at the rank of colonel, while another is head of hematological research at Tel Aviv University.

El-Qasas called on all Egyptian professors to boycott the conference.

More fruits of Israeli/Jewish brainpower…Exciting research out of Hadassah University Medical Center, located in Israel’s capital city, Jerusalem. A new technology that allows the production of very large numbers of human embryonic stem cells for use in industry and research. Prior to this Israeli breakthrough, the cells could only be produced in tiny numbers. Now, massive amounts of cells can be made available for repairing human tissues and organs…and who knows what else?

Israeli Stem Cell Research

Israeli advance in stem cell tech

Hadassah breakthrough to produce large number of human embryonic stem cells

Reprinted from Jpost.com JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH AND JPOST.COM STAF

A new technology developed at Hadassah University Medical Center has made it possible to produce large amounts of human embryonic stem cells for industry and research by growing them in suspension.

Until now, hESCs – which have the potential of ripening into any other type of body cells for repair of tissues and organs – have been created in small numbers.

Called a “breakthrough” in hESC technology, the research was just published in the prestigious science journal Nature Biotechnology. The article, titled “Derivation, propagation and controlled differentiation of human embryonic stem cells in suspension,” was written by Dr. Debora Steiner as part of her post-doctoral work under the direction of Prof. Benjamin Reubinoff, both of Hadassah’s Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research Center, with participation by other Hadassah colleagues.

HESC research has been stymied by the fact that it has, until now, been difficult to make large amounts of them. Conventionally, they have been cultured as colonies consisting of one cell layer attached to a flat “bed” of chemicals or nutrients. The involved a great deal of work, and the number of hESCs produced was limited.

It was thought that propagation of hESCs in a suspension (a mixture in which fine particles are suspended in a fluid where they are supported by buoyancy) was impossible because under these conditions, the cells would stop multiplying and instead undergo uncontrolled ripening into various types of cells.

But the Hadassah researchers developed unique conditions that made it possible for the cells to multiply significantly in suspension without differentiating into specific cell types. By changing the conditions of the culture, they showed that they could control the ripening of hESC clusters in suspension into neural spheres. Thus instead of being grown on beds in one layer, the stem cells could be cultivated in large vats with precise, computerized monitoring of growth conditions.

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Israeli Professionals Take the Lead…Medical and search and rescue teams from the IDF, ZAKA, and Israel’s hospitals are leading the efforts to save lives in Haiti…A Special Report from Israel…Plus…There are always the naysayers, and this is no exception…Also…Floodwaters strike Israel’s Negev Desert…Palestinians in Gaza blame Israel…All this and more on “The Marty Roberts Show”…