Pluristem Granted Key Cell Patents in Asia, Russia, Mexico, and Israel

Company Fortifies IP Assets in Important Markets


HAIFA, Israel, June 1, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pluristem Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq:PSTI) (TASE:PLTR), a leading developer of placenta-based cell therapy products, today announced it has been granted patents covering cell manufacturing, pharmaceutical compositions and disease treatment in China, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, and Israel.

The State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China granted Pluristem patent #ZL201080054298.4. It is titled "Adherent Cells from Placenta and Use of Same in Disease Treatment," and addresses the use of adherent placental cells for the treatment of muscle trauma, skeletal muscle defects, neuropathic pain, peripheral nerve injury, and neurodegenerative disease.

The Korean Intellectual Property Office issued to Pluristem patent #KR101490449 titled "Methods for Cell Expansion and Uses of Cells and Conditioned Media Produced Thereby for Therapy." The patent covers important aspects of Pluristem's platform technology, including: adherent placental or adipose cells that were expanded utilizing Pluristem's culture methods; Pluristem's culture methods themselves; and pharmaceutical compositions containing these cells for various therapeutic indications.

Mexico's Instituto Mexicano de la Propiedad Industrial issued to Pluristem patent #MX 327981 titled, "Method and Apparatus for Maintenance and Expansion of Hemopoietic Stem Cells and/or Progenitor Cells," addressing the use of stromal cells for supporting the growth of Hematopoietic Stem Cells in the context of bone marrow transplantation. Pluristem has also been issued patent #MX327763 in Mexico, which is titled "Adherent Cells from Placenta Tissue and Use Thereof in Therapy." This patent addresses methods of growing placental cells under three-dimensional culturing conditions.

The patent titled "Adherent Cells from Placenta Tissue and Use Thereof in Therapy" has also been issued to Pluristem by Rospatent in Russia under patent #RU2539786. This patent addresses adherent placental cells that have been cultured under 3D conditions.

The Israel Patent Office issued the Company patent #IL194232, titled, "Methods for Cell Expansion and Uses of Cells and Conditioned Media Produced Thereby for Therapy." The patent addresses methods of growing adherent placental or adipose cells under 3D conditions, cells produced by the methods, methods of producing conditioned medium from the cells, and medium produced by the methods.

"Pluristem has been granted key patents in multiple important markets. We believe the continued expansion of our intellectual property assets fortifies our position as a leader in the development, manufacturing, and clinical application of placental-derived cell therapies," stated Pluristem CEO Zami Aberman. "These newest additions to our IP portfolio are significant as we pursue our strategy to bring PLX cells to markets worldwide."

About Pluristem Therapeutics

Pluristem Therapeutics Inc. is a leading developer of placenta-based cell therapy products. The Company's patented PLX (PLacental eXpanded) cells release a cocktail of therapeutic proteins in response to inflammation, ischemia, hematological disorders, and radiation damage. PLX cells are grown using the Company's proprietary three-dimensional expansion technology and are an "off-the-shelf" product that requires no tissue matching prior to administration.

Pluristem has a strong intellectual property position, Company-owned, GMP-certified manufacturing and research facilities, strategic relationships with major research institutions, and a seasoned management team. For more information visit www.pluristem.com, the content of which is not part of this press release.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and federal securities laws. For example, forward looking statements are used in this press release when we discuss our pursuit of our strategy. These forward-looking statements and their implications are based on the current expectations of the management of Pluristem only, and are subject to a number of factors and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. The following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements: changes in technology and market requirements; we may encounter delays or obstacles in launching and/or successfully completing our clinical trials; our products may not be approved by regulatory agencies, our technology may not be validated as we progress further and our methods may not be accepted by the scientific community; we may be unable to retain or attract key employees whose knowledge is essential to the development of our products; unforeseen scientific difficulties may develop with our process; our products may wind up being more expensive than we anticipate; results in the laboratory may not translate to equally good results in real surgical settings; results of preclinical studies may not correlate with the results of human clinical trials; our patents may not be sufficient; our products may harm recipients; changes in legislation; inability to timely develop and introduce new technologies, products and applications; loss of market share and pressure on pricing resulting from competition, which could cause the actual results or performance of Pluristem to differ materially from those contemplated in such forward-looking statements. Except as otherwise required by law, Pluristem undertakes no obligation to publicly release any revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. For a more detailed description of the risks and uncertainties affecting Pluristem, reference is made to Pluristem's reports filed from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.



            

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