Pluricell Biotech was founded 4 years ago to derive and commercialize stem cells for research applications. Recently, they have made the switch into creating therapeutic applications from stem cell research, with a specific focus on the heart.Cells that still retain their neucleus are collected from healthy donors and “re-wound” to become pleuripotent stem cells, which can then be differentiated into heart cells.
Currently, Pluricell is working on being able to replace scar tissue located in the heart, as well as other small areas of the heart where cells have died, and their ultimate goal is to be able to both regrow large sections of the heart, or to re-grow an entire organ, depending on the need of the patient.
They have seen promising test results on small rodents–though because the hearts of these animals are different than those of humans, they are looking for approval to begin human trials. They believe that they could have that approval within the next 4-5 years, and in about 10 years would be able to take their research to market.
For more information, visit www.pluricellbiotech.com.