RESTORE Consortium to Host the 1st Advanced Therapies Science Meeting, Aiming to Translate Promising Research into a Game Changer in Healthcare

• RESTORE Consortium, of which Pluristem is a leading member, is competing for up to a €1 billion award by the European Commission
  
• Winner announcement is expected in May 2020

HAIFA, Israel, Nov. 04, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pluristem Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq:PSTI) (TASE:PSTI), a leading regenerative medicine company developing novel placenta-based cell therapy products, today announced that the RESTORE Consortium is hosting its 1st Advanced Therapies Science Meeting (ATSM), which is being held November 25-26, 2019 in Berlin. As a leading member of the large-scale research initiative, Pluristem, along with additional respected members, is committed to accelerating the availability of advanced therapies to all those in need, a main motivation standing behind RESTORE.

Led by Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, and coordinated by Professor Hans-Dieter Volk from the BIH-Center for Regenerative Therapies in Berlin, RESTORE aims to promote groundbreaking research, drive Europe to the forefront in advanced therapies and deliver a pipeline of potentially transformative cures to patients in need. “Advanced Therapies are a potential game changer in health care, aiming to shift our focus from chronic treatment of disease to regeneration of health,” said Prof. Volk. “We are determined to translate promising research findings into safe therapies, and we are working across disciplines and national borders in order to achieve this goal. The 1st Advanced Therapies Science Meeting provides the opportunity to discuss the still numerous obstacles in the way of implementing these promising therapies in routine clinical care.”

“This initiative may hold the key for changing the approach towards medicine in Europe, and advancing solutions for patients in need,” said Zami Aberman, Executive Chairman of Pluristem. “The European Commission is poised to make a significant investment of up to €1 billion in a consortium of companies that can drive forward the development of novel regenerative therapies, and we are pleased to be a leading part in this effort. Given our proprietary cell manufacturing technology and broad, late-stage pipeline, we believe we can play a key role toward making the transforming promise of advanced therapies into a reality.”

The 1st ATSM will bring together experts from industry, patient organizations and academia to discuss the challenges within the field of advanced therapies, which include gene and cell therapies and tissue-engineering approaches. The ATSM is focused on trying to drive forward a concerted interdisciplinary effort, making use of science, infrastructure and funding within Europe to make regenerative therapies available to the broadest possible patient population.

The two-day program will include talks from Nobel Prize winner Ada Yonath (Director of Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel), Michele De Luca (University of Modena, Italy), Timothy O’Brien (National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland), Maksim Mamonkin (Baylor College of Medicine, USA), Manuela Gomes (University of Minho, Portugal) and others.

RESTORE partners include the Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin and Berlin Institute of Health (Germany), the University of Zurich (Switzerland), Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult (United Kingdom), TissUse GmbH (Germany), Pluristem (Israel), Miltenyi Biotec GmbH (Germany), INSERM – Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche (France), Innovation Acta S.r.l. (Italy), Fondazione Telethon Milan (Italy), and the University of Minho (Portugal).

About Pluristem Therapeutics
Pluristem Therapeutics Inc. is a leading regenerative medicine company developing novel placenta-based cell therapy product candidates. The Company has reported robust clinical trial data in multiple indications for its patented PLX cell product candidates and is currently conducting late stage clinical trials in several indications. PLX cell product candidates are believed to release a range of therapeutic proteins in response to inflammation, ischemia, muscle trauma, hematological disorders and radiation damage. The cells are grown using the Company's proprietary three-dimensional expansion technology and can be administered to patients off-the-shelf, without tissue matching. Pluristem has a strong intellectual property position; a Company-owned and operated GMP-certified manufacturing and research facility; strategic relationships with major research institutions; and a seasoned management team.

Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains express or implied forward-looking statements within the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other U.S. Federal securities laws. For example, Pluristem is using forward-looking statements when it discusses the potential for the RESTORE Consortium to receive up to a €1 billion award by the European Commission and the timing of the potential award, that RESTORE’s aim is to promote groundbreaking research, drive Europe to the forefront in advanced therapies and deliver a pipeline of potentially transformative cures to patients in need, that RESTORE and the 1^st ATSM may hold the key for changing the approach towards medicine in Europe, and advancing solutions for patients in need, and its belief that given its proprietary cell manufacturing technology and broad, late-stage pipeline, it believes it can play a key role toward making the transforming promise of advanced therapies into a reality. 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; Pluristem may encounter delays or obstacles in launching and/or successfully completing its clinical trials; Pluristem’s products may not be approved by regulatory agencies, Pluristem’s technology may not be validated as it progresses further and its methods may not be accepted by the scientific community; Pluristem may be unable to retain or attract key employees whose knowledge is essential to the development of its products; unforeseen scientific difficulties may develop with Pluristem’s process; Pluristem’s products may wind up being more expensive than it anticipates; results in the laboratory may not translate to equally good results in real clinical settings; results of preclinical studies may not correlate with the results of human clinical trials; Pluristem’s patents may not be sufficient; Pluristem’s products may harm recipients; changes in legislation may adversely impact Pluristem; 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.