I own PSTI but rarely post anymore
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PSTI Insider Buying ...
Pluristem Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: PSTI : 3.01, 0.015): Director Ben-Yoram Israel bought a total of 63,902 shares between May 16 and May 20 at an average price of $3.04 for a total value of $194,206. Shares traded 1.33 percent higher at $3.04 on Tuesday.
http://www.istockanalyst.com/finance/story/6438564/top-insider-purchases-apa-aig-cvrr-lpsn-opk-psti
"Brett Mitchell, PhD, an Associate Professor of Internal Medicine in the Cardiovascular Research Institute (CVRI) at Texas A&M University College of Medicine, there is evidence that administrating placenta-derived cells may help reverse the symptoms associated with preeclampsia in a matter of days after dosing with no harmful effects to mother or baby."
http://www.newswise.com/articles/list?category=institution&search[institution]=20205
Preclinical Research Shows PLX Cells May be Effective in Treating Preeclampsia
http://ih.advfn.com/p.php?pid=nmona&article=57532934
Differences between Stem Cells from the Placenta and Bone Marrow
Fazekasova et al. Mesenchymal stem cells were historically isolated from the bone marrow as an adherent stem cell population capable of “orthodox” differentiation, meaning that they have ability to become bone, cartilage, and fat. Further research revealed that these cells are also capable of “non-orthodox” differentiation, that is, becoming neurons, hepatocytes, insulin producing cells, and lung cells. Given the high number of growth factors secreted by mesenchymal stem cells, numerous companies have sought to develop therapeutic products from mesenchymal stem cells. For example, Osiris Therapeutics has been developing bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells as a treatment for Graft Versus Host Disease. Athersys has been using bone marrow derived mesenchymal-like cells for treatment of heart disease, and Mesoblast has been using these cells for treatment of bone injury.
A new generation of companies has been focusing other mesenchymal-like cells derived from other tissues. For example, Medistem Inc has identified endometrial regenerative cells (ERC), a type of mesenchymal-like stem cell that is found in the endometrium and appears to have higher ability to produce growth factors that stimulate new blood vessel production as compared to other sources of mesenchymal stem cells. General Biotechnology LLC has been developing tooth derived mesenchymal stem cells for treatment of neurological disorders. Celgene has been using placental-derived mesenchymal stem cells for treatment of critical limb ischemia, a disorder associated with poor circulation of the legs.
Given that there appear to be various sources of mesenchymal stem cells, an important question is how do these cells compare when they are used in experiments side by side. In a paper published this month, placental derived and bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells were compared. The scientists found that higher numbers of mesenchymal stem cells could be isolated from the placenta as compared to the bone marrow. Interestingly, placental mesenchymal stem cells were found to be comprised of both fetal and maternal origin.
One of the critical features of mesenchymal stem cells is that they are able to be used without need for matching with the recipient. This is because mesenchymal stem cells are historically known to be “immune privileged”. One of the experiments that the scientists did was to examine whether there is a difference between the bone marrow and placentally derived mesenchymal stem cells in terms of immunogenicity.
Placentally derived mesenchymal stem cells expressed lower levels of the immune stimulatory molecule HLA class I and higher levels of the immune suppressive molecules PDL-1 and CD1a, compared to bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells. However, when both cell types were treated with interferon gamma, the placentally derived mesenchymal became much more immune stimulatory as compared to the bone marrow cells. Furthermore it appeared that direct incubation with T cells resulted in higher T cell stimulation with the placental mesenchymal stem cells as compared to the bone marrow cells. Thus from these data it appears that bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells are more immune privileged as compare to placental derived cells.
http://www.cellmedicine.com/stem-cell-therapy/news/stem-cell-research/endometrial-stem-cells-stem-cell-research/
$3.67 - Looks like a nice buying opportunity for a long term hold. Insiders have put their money on the line and I like that. Germany news could get interesting really quick.
MESOBLAST'S PRECLINICAL TRIAL RESULTS OF INTRACORONARY CELL THERAPY PUBLISHED IN CIRCULATION RESEARCH
http://ih.advfn.com/p.php?pid=nmona&article=57571906&symbol=MBLTY
New 52 week high today
"A company can't necessarily patent a mesenchymal cell, but certainly the process, the method of use and, in some cases, the composition of the final product can be patented. Of course, there will be emerging patent battles among players in the space. If we compare what Osiris Therapeutics Inc. (OSIR), Athersys Inc. (ATHX), Pluristem Therapeutics Inc. (PSTI) and Mesoblast are doing, they all have different variations of an allogeneic product (using cells from the same species). But there is enough proprietary IP in what they're doing that these products can be treated like traditional pharmaceuticals with regard to their proprietary natures. "...
" If allo wins, that tells me that Mesoblast, Athersys, Pluristem and even Osiris are potentially big winners in this space. "
http://wire.kapitall.com/investment-idea/position-yourself-for-big-returns-in-the-stem-cell-space-jason-kolbert/
$13.4 Billion? Nice find - this could get interesting.
Harris & Harris Group Notes Bridgelux and Toshiba Collaboration
http://ih.advfn.com/p.php?pid=nmona&article=57288770
52 week high, again. It may pull back with the market but then again, this is a thin stock with a high short ratio so if it fails to pull back with the market, it could surge as shorts find greener pasture elsewhere - BWDIK.
Are you expecting something to happen before tomorrow when options expire? You will need to cover the trading fees and the spread before you will see any profit. I like that it held up on a down market day and see some long-term prospects in WPRT but lots of variables affecting the energy sector that could go either way.
Not too Shabby, Sabby - lol
Stem-cell research is blooming in Israel
Next week, 18 Israeli companies whose research sits on the cutting edge of medical advancement will mingle with several more from around the world at the Israstem Conference in Ramat Gan.
By Dan Even
http://www.haaretz.com/news/features/stem-cell-research-is-blooming-in-israel.premium-1.515396
Apr.14,2013 | 12:13 PM At a massive scientific parley next week, 18 Israeli companies and several more from around the world will meet to discuss translational research on stem cells, cell therapy, and regenerative medicine in both industry and academia.
The use of human cells for treating disease has expanded dramatically over the past decade, leading to the development of a new field: cell therapy — or, in professional terms, regenerative medicine — in which new cells are introduced into body tissue to treat disease. Over the past few years, the knowledge accumulated in the field has begun to leave the laboratories of academia for the commercial world, the development of innovative treatments in hospitals and even the production of off-the-shelf products. In Israel, 18 companies — an unprecedentedly large proportion in relation to the country’s population — develop or market cell-based treatment products. Three of them develop therapies from stem cells produced from fetal cells. All of these will be on hand at the Israstem Conference next week (April 22 and 23) at the Kfar Maccabiah Convention and Event Center in Ramat Gan.
So far, health services in Western countries have approved five off-the-shelf products based on cells from various sources. Additional products are in the pipeline. One product developed in Israel by Pluristem Therapeutics uses mesenchymal stem cells produced from human placenta to treat peripheral blood disease, prevent limb amputations and improve patient life expectancy. (Mesenchymal stem cells have the ability to differentiate into a variety of cells including bone, cartilage and fat cells.)
Some cell-therapy products are not off-the-shelf. Rather, they are treatments that allow the use of the patient’s own cells after they have undergone a process of activation outside the body. For example, Dendreon, an American biotechnology company that focuses on cancer, is developing a vaccine against prostate cancer that uses the patient’s own blood cells, mixed with the company’s proprietary technology.
Dr. Shosh Merhav, the former head of the Cell Therapy Projects Unit at Teva Innovative Ventures and now a private consultant in the stem-cell industry, is co-chair of the Israstem Conference.
“The model on which such products are based is different from off-the-shelf products," she says. "Of course, at the business level, off-the-shelf products have an advantage because the cells that have been produced can be preserved for longer and used for any patient, not just for the patient from whom they were harvested.”
A product based on treating activated cells that has already been approved in Israel and added to the list of treatments provided by the Health Ministry was developed by the Israeli company MacroCure, which uses cells from the blood donations of healthy people. White blood cells from the donated blood that undergo activation via a specific technology are used to treat particularly stubborn wounds. “These cells stimulate a response from the patient’s own cells, including skin cells and white blood cells, to encourage wound healing,” says Dr. Avi Treves, chairman of the Israstem Conference and the deputy director of the Sheba Cancer Research Center at the Sheba Medical Center.
Of the 18 Israeli companies in the field, nine develop or produce products that come from donors other than the patients, eight develop treatments from the cells of the patients themselves, and one company is in the first stages of safety trials for a new product made from the cartilage cells of miniature pigs.
Gamida Cell, a cell therapy company, is awaiting approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration for a treatment that uses umbilical-cord-derived stem cells expanded with the company’s proprietary technology to treat adult leukemia patients. “Umbilical blood contains adult stem cells that come from fetuses. These cells, which have expanded treatment and healing capabilities, are already used routinely to treat patients with leukemia as an alternative to bone-marrow transplants," Treves says. "The new product allows the multiplication of these cells, producing a larger dose that can increase the chances of success.”
Several products that use ordinary human cells are in the clinical-trials stage. A product made by the Israeli company BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics, which uses cells from patients with neurodegenerative diseases such as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease), is being tested at Hadassah University Hospital, Ein Kerem. A technology for treating autism with the patient’s own umbilical-cord blood is being developed in the United States, as is another treatment of cerebral palsy that uses the patient’s own umbilical-cord blood.
At Sheba Medical Center, stem-cell-based therapies are being developed to treat hard-to-heal wounds and retinitis pigmentosa, an eye disease that attacks the retina and can lead to blindness. A presentation will also be given at the conference on the positive results of an ongoing study at the Ella Institute for Treatment and Research of Melanoma and Skin Cancer at the Sheba Medical Center. The treatment being studied is based on the activation of immune cells outside the body and their introduction into melanoma patients together with new anti-cancer treatments. The findings, from more than 50 patients, show a high rate of efficacy.
Additional findings that will be presented at the conference include those of a study by Zelig Eshhar of the Weizmann Institute of Science, which is still in the academic stage. Eshhar is developing an advanced technology that uses genetically-engineered T cells, called chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) cells, to teach a person’s immune system to destroy a specific cancer. The technology uses the patient’s own white blood cells, which are activated by the injection of a specific gene, giving them the ability to identify, attack and kill the cancer cells. Human trials based on the technology are testing the efficacy of this therapy against several types of leukemia and glioblastoma, the most common and aggressive brain tumor in humans.
Another branch of the stem-cell therapy field that is still in early development is testing the advantages of treatments developed from fetal stem cells — cells harvested from fetuses that were aborted or extra fetuses created in fertility treatments and later donated by the couples undergoing the treatment. In the past, this method caused an ethical controversy in the U.S., and for several years during the Bush administration, government funding for these studies was stopped. It was later restored. Israel is a world center for fetal-cell research, and three companies here develop stem-cell products from this source.
One goal of the Israstem conference is to stimulate government investment in Israel’s stem-cell therapy industry. “Many countries invest a great deal in the industry,” says Merchav.
Governmental investment in stem-cell therapy is minimal in Israel. In 2003, Israeli companies, together with the chief scientist of the Industry, Trade and Labor Ministry, established the Bereshit Consortium for Cell Therapy (Bereshit is the Hebrew word for “genesis”) to allow cell therapy companies in Israel to provide stem-cell technologies and products to researchers around the world. The consortium supported the development being done at Hadassah University Hospital, Ein Kerem, to create lines of fetal stem cells that can assist in treating blindness caused by age-related macular degeneration (AMD). It closed in 2009 after six years of operation.
According to Merchav, “Without investment in the field, we will lose our advantage over countries such as the United States, Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom and Australia, which lead in investments.”
Stem-cell therapy also raises concerns regarding side effects. The side effect feared most is that the transplanted cells, which are “young” cells and have a tendency to grow quickly, could grow uncontrollably in the patient’s body, causing malignant tumors.
UTHR to Move PAH Drug into Phase I - By Zacks Equity Research
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/uthr-move-pah-drug-phase-150002179.html
4 Healthcare Stock Stories for Weekend Investment Wellness
http://wallstcheatsheet.com/stocks/4-healthcare-stock-stories-for-weekend-investment-wellness-3.html/3/
Northwest Biotherapeutics, Statistically Speaking
Apr 11 2013, 17:24
http://seekingalpha.com/article/1336331-northwest-biotherapeutics-statistically-speaking?source=yahoo
At 52 week high
At 52 week high
United Therapeutics Receives Regulatory Approval to Commence Phase I Study of Pluristem's PLX-PAD Cells for Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/united-therapeutics-receives-regulatory-approval-070000045.html
The Vatican's Pontifical Council for Culture, NeoStem, The Stem for Life Foundation & STOQ International Announce Highlights of
http://ih.advfn.com/p.php?pid=nmona&article=56864584
BrainStorm to Present at Several Scientific and Investment Conferences
http://ih.advfn.com/p.php?pid=nmona&article=57101716&symbol=BCLI
FWIW Trading was killed on NWBOW warrants with a mean spread of $1.75 BID $2.99 ASK. NWBOW high so far today $2.30 a 52 week high. NWBO would have to be over $7.30 for $2.30 warrants to be in the money. Interesting.
Pluristem Announces Scientific and Investment Conferences for April 2013
http://ih.advfn.com/p.php?pid=nmona&article=57094653&symbol=PSTI
SENSIO Signs Licensing Agreement With Paramount Pictures to Bring 3D Movies to 3DGO!(TM)
http://ih.advfn.com/p.php?pid=nmona&article=56888972
Are you allergic to coconut oil?
http://www.naturalnews.com/039811_coconut_Alzheimers_dementia.html
If $1 holds, count me in. ZNNMF ZNN - Speculative lotto play that could be a total bust or 20x.
Flu vaccine causes 1,400% increased risk of narcolepsy:
http://www.naturalnews.com/039732_flu_vaccines_narcolepsy_children.html
The company nobody wanted - lol
LRAD To Spin Off Parametric Sound, The Company Nobody Wanted
http://www.stockspinoffs.com/2010/07/19/lrad-to-spin-off-parametric-sound-the-company-nobody-wanted/
That looks like a huge recall for a small company yet they did not disclose it as a material event? Did insiders sell on this knowledge? This has been on my watch list and looks like it will stay on the watch list.
Letter to Shareholders March 2013
http://www.appliednanotech.net/investors/shareholder_comm_2013-Mar.php
The Value Of A Pricey Orphan Drug: Nader Explains
http://www.pharmalot.com/2013/02/the-value-of-a-pricey-orphan-drug-nader-explains/