Leading biotechnology company Pluri Inc. (NASDAQ:PLUR) (TASE:PLUR)
(“Pluri” or the “Company”) today issued the following update from
CEO and President, Yaky Yanay:
Dear Fellow Shareholders,
As we move into 2024, I’m proud to share my thoughts about all
the exciting things happening at Pluri right now. As a
purpose-driven company with goal-oriented leadership and a deep
commitment to our shareholders, we enter 2024 with significant
momentum in every area of our business, validating our approach and
demonstrating strong execution. Over the past several months, we’ve
launched PluriAgtech, a new business vertical focused on applying
our cell-based technologies to improve agriculture; and PluriCDMO,
a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO)
division,with the goal to drive revenues and cash flow while
continuing to advance healthcare therapeutics.
We are building long-term strategic alliances and partnerships
with companies that are leaders in their respective fields, have
market access, employ a similar approach to innovation, and are
committed to pioneering a biotech revolution with us, with the goal
to accelerate time to market. Despite the myriad of challenges
associated with scaling a business during these difficult times,
the last few months have been especially exciting for Pluri,
bringing significant progress in multiple areas.
Just as Israel has demonstrated resilience, Pluri has also
demonstrated immense strength over the last few months, showing our
partners and customers that we deliver innovation no matter what
the current circumstances are. In fact, we’re coming off a year of
successes that offer a glimpse of the bright future ahead for
Pluri:
PluriAgtech’s innovative answer to the
global coffee crisis: sustainable cell-based coffee
In January 2024, we launched our cell-based coffee business,
pioneering a new and game-changing way to address the rapidly
growing $130 billion coffee industry in a more sustainable,
eco-friendly way. The coffee industry is currently at risk as
global warming is expected to slash the amount of land available
for coffee production by up to 50% by 2050.
Leveraging our proprietary 3D technology platform, our new
vertical PluriAgtech can create high-quality cell-based coffee with
98% less water than traditional coffee production. We also estimate
that our innovative new production process will reduce the amount
of growing area by 95%, potentially preventing deforestation.
We are receiving a lot of interest from partners
and strategics around this unique project, that can potentially
transform and solve some main challenges of the industry. Our goal
is to build our cell-based coffee business as a new subsidiary
focused on the coffee industry and we are working to secure
sufficient funding to support the development process, scaleup and
regulatory phase.
PluriCDMO to support development of life-changing cell
and gene therapies for biotech companies, and
potentially generate revenues and cash flow for Pluri
In January 2024, we launched our CDMO division, to provide
services to innovative biotech companies in the rapidly growing
$5.2 billion cell and gene therapy sector. PluriCDMO includes not
only our experienced clinical and bio-manufacturing team but also
our robust Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) facility and our
proprietary 3D cell-expansion technology. We believe PluriCDMO can
be the launchpad so many companies need to take their cell and gene
therapies to the next level.
While we already started generating revenues from this division,
we are receiving a lot of additional interest and are currently
negotiating several CDMO agreements. PluriCDMO provides
substantial value to our clients by offering; access to extensive
knowledge, mass scale production opportunities and expedited time
to market. We expect this division to boost Pluri’s revenues and
cash flow through the utilization of our well-established
technology and GMP-certified facility.
PluriHealth & U.S.
NIH advance
development of PLX-R18 as
countermeasure for
H-ARS
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Vladmir Putin’s dangerous
rhetoric have raised the specter of nuclear war, and the global
medical community must prepare for the worst-case scenario.
Unfortunately, the world remains unprepared for a nuclear attack or
a major accident. Medical responses to nuclear radiation poisoning
have failed to keep pace, while nuclear weaponry has grown
exponentially more powerful since World War II.
In July 2023, we signed a 3-year, $4.2 million contract with the
U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID),
part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to advance the
development of our PLX-R18 cell therapy as a potential novel
treatment for Hematopoietic Acute Radiation Syndrome (H-ARS). We
are collaborating with the U.S. Department of Defense’s (DoD) Armed
Forces Radiobiology Research Institute (AFRRI)/Uniformed Services
University of Health Sciences (USUHS) in Maryland.
PLX-R18 is being developed with the intention of being eligible
for purchase by the U.S. Strategic National Stockpile as a medical
countermeasure for exposure to nuclear radiation, following U.S.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval.
Collaboration with Bar-Ilan
University develops PLX cells to treat cocaine
addiction
Another example of executing our partnered-based strategy is the
agreement we signed with BIRAD, the commercial division of Bar-Ilan
University. BIRAD – Research & Development Company has the
right to further develop and commercialize PLX cells as a product
to treat cocaine addiction and Pluri is entitled to a 20% revenue
share from future sales of the product.
The lack of any FDA-approved medications to treat cocaine
addiction presents a significant opportunity in a critical health
area with significant unmet need.
We expect that additional partnership agreements will continue
to drive our current PluriHealth pipeline to commercialization.
Ever After Foods’
promising development
Within one year of its establishment, Ever After Foods announced
a 700% increase in productivity compared to other cultivated meat
companies, showing the great promise of our technology when it
comes to scale and cost parity. Ever After Foods’ long-term goal is
to serve as a technology enabler for the broader industry.
Ever After Foods is led by a stellar management and operational
team and we expect to share some exciting developments over the
coming months.
Transforming the world through cell-based technology,
building high value companies, near-term revenues and cash
flow
We believe our technology is pivotal for solving some of the
most important trials facing humanity today. As a global leader in
cell-based technology, Pluri is setting the stage for a future full
of hope in the areas of food security, climate change,
sustainability, health and aging.
Today I am proud to say that we are building the strongest
pipeline of collaborations and negotiations that we've ever had. By
creating novel cell-based products both independently and through
partnerships, Pluri is showing what’s possible when we all work
together. As such, our transformative technology is not only
creating long-term value for our shareholders; it’s also making the
world a better place. Thank you for your support.
Best regards,
Yaky YanayChief Executive Officer and President, Pluri Inc.
About Pluri Inc.
Pluri is pushing the boundaries of science and engineering to
create cell-based products for commercial use and is pioneering a
biotech revolution that promotes global wellbeing and
sustainability. The Company’s technology platform, a patented and
validated state-of-the-art 3D cell expansion system, advances novel
cell-based solutions for a range of initiatives — from medicine and
climate change to food scarcity, animal cruelty and beyond. Pluri’s
method is uniquely accurate, scalable, cost-effective, and
consistent from batch to batch. Pluri currently operates in the
field of regenerative medicine, food-tech and agtech and aims to
establish partnerships that leverage the Company’s 3D cell-based
technology to additional industries that require effective, mass
cell production. To learn more, visit us
at www.pluri-biotech.com or follow us on LinkedIn and
Twitter.
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, Pluri is
using forward-looking statements when it discusses the potential
benefits of its various products, its goals relating to its coffee
business, the belief that PluriCDMO™ can be a launchpad for
companies needing assistance with their cell and gene therapies,
that it aims to build its cell-based coffee business as a new
subsidiary and is working to secure sufficient funding to support
the development process, scaleup and regulatory phase, that it is
negotiating several CDMO agreements, that it expects its CDMO
business to boost its revenues and cash flow, that it expects that
additional partnership agreements will continue to drive its
current PluriHealth pipeline to commercialization and that it
expects Ever After Foods to share exciting developments over the
coming months. These forward-looking statements and their
implications are based on the current expectations of the
management of Pluri 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 about Pluri: changes in technology and market
requirements; Pluri may encounter delays or obstacles in launching
and/or successfully completing its clinical trials, if necessary;
its products may not be approved by regulatory agencies, its
technology may not be validated as it progresses further and its
methods may not be accepted by the scientific community; it 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 its processes; its 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; its patents may not be sufficient; its products
may harm recipients or consumers; changes in legislation with an
adverse impact; 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 Pluri to differ materially
from those contemplated in such forward-looking statements. Except
as otherwise required by law, Pluri 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 Pluri
reference is made to Pluri's reports filed from time to time with
the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Media Contacts
Investors: investor.relations@pluri-biotech.com / Jennifer
Zimmons at Jen@quantum-corp.com
Israel Media: Shachar Yental at Shacharye@gitam.co.il
U.S. Media: Madeline Weirman at Maddie@quantum-corp.com /
Jessica Daitch at Jessica@quantum-corp.com
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