Pluristem Gets South African Patent For Foundational Cell Harvesting Technology

(RTTNews) - Pluristem Therapeutics Inc. (PSTI), a developer of placenta-based cell therapy products, announced Tuesday that it has been issued Patent No. 2013/07160, titled "Methods and Systems for Harvesting Adherent Stromal Cells", in South Africa.

According to the company, this patent addresses its methods for using vibration to harvest cells grown on three-dimensional scaffolds, the harvested cells themselves, and devices developed for this process. The lack of an effective technology for harvesting live cells from these carriers was a longstanding roadblock to three-dimensional growth of cell therapy products.

Pluristem's invention for harvesting manufactured cells from three-dimensional scaffolds is a central element of its technology platform. The scaffolds, contained within proprietary bioreactors, use a high surface-to-volume ratio to make possible an extraordinarily efficient cell growth system. This degree of efficiency is necessary for cost-effective production of commercial quantities of therapeutic products, and could potentially provide Pluristem with a significant advantage.

Pluristem CEO Zami Aberman, said, "Our vibrational harvesting technology works with our patented technology platform to create a high-yield of cells that have high viability and vitality. From cell growth to cell harvesting, Pluristem's patented and patent-pending methods may enable cell therapy to become a marketable technology on a scale that we believe is unmatched in the cell therapy industry."