U.S. government taps Israeli startup to develop treatment for radiation poisoning

A unique bone marrow rejuvenation treatment might show promise

An Israeli biotech startup is aspiring to treat radiation poisoning. Photo by iStock by Getty Images

By Gall Sigler July 11, 2023

A new deal has an Israeli biotech startup set to work with the U.S. government on an effort to develop a treatment for radiation poisoning.

On Tuesday, the Haifa-based company Pluri Inc. signed a $4.2 million deal with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to work alongside the Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute of the Department of Defense to develop a groundbreaking cell therapy for radiation poisoning, known as Hematopoietic Acute Radiation Syndrome.

“The current time calls for us to accelerate the development and accessibility of radiation treatments, especially as geopolitical instability rises, and nuclear power plants face the threat of warfare,” Yaky Yanay, Pluri CEO and President, said in a press release.

Pluri’s unique treatment for radiation exposure, which the company calls PLX-R18 cell therapy, seeks to revent bone marrow from declining as a result of exposure to radiation, and to use placenta-derived cells to revamp the immune system.

The treatment is not yet approved by the Food and Drug Administration. However, studies funded by the NIH suggest that survival rates of animals exposed to radiation increased when those animals were treated with PLX-R18.

Since its founding two decades ago, Pluri has dabbled in different biotech ventures. During the pandemic, the start-up sought to develop its own COVID-19 treatment with the help of EU funds, although a 2021 trial failed to show that its treatment meaningfully mitigated COVID-19 symptoms.

Earlier this year, Pluri won the Israeli Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs and Social Services’ Egalitarian Employment Award, in part for having 60% of its senior positions held by women.

Gall Sigler is an editorial intern at the Forward. Contact him at sigler@forward.com

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