Pluri Inc.
An Israeli biotechnology company developing placenta-derived cell therapies and regenerative medicine platforms.
Last updated August 31, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
Pluri Inc., formerly known as Pluristem Therapeutics, is an Israeli biotechnology company built around the development of human placental adherent stromal cells for therapeutic and commercial applications. The company’s platform uses cells obtained from postnatal human placentas, which it describes as an ethically sourced and potentially scalable starting material. Its research programs have primarily focused on PLX, or PLacental eXpanded, cells and their possible use in diseases involving inflammation, ischemia, tissue injury, immune dysfunction, and inadequate blood-cell recovery. The company originated in 2001 when Shai Meretzki, a Technion researcher, established the business around stem-cell technology associated with his doctoral work. The underlying scientific work was developed at the Rappaport Faculty of Medicine at the Technion under the supervision of Shosh Merchav, with contributions from Dov Zipori and Avinoam Kadouri of the Weizmann Institute of Science. In 2003, the business was acquired by the NASDAQ-listed shell company A1 Software, which subsequently changed its name to Pluristem Life Systems. The company adopted the name Pluristem Therapeutics in 2007. Pluristem’s development portfolio has included PLX-PAD for peripheral arterial disease, critical limb ischemia, intermittent claudication, muscle injury, and other vascular or tissue-repair indications; PLX-R18 for inadequate hematopoietic recovery and radiation-related injury; and broader PLX-cell programs aimed at regulating excessive immune responses. These programs have moved through different stages of clinical and preclinical investigation rather than forming an approved commercial drug portfolio. The company has reported clinical and compassionate-use experiences, but the available reference material does not establish that any PLX product has received broad marketing authorization. Pluri has worked with academic, governmental, and industry partners. Its collaborations and grant-supported activities have included research with Charité – Berlin University of Medicine, support from the Israel Innovation Authority, European Union Horizon 2020 funding, work with Fukushima Medical University, participation in a U.S. infectious-disease research program, and involvement in the CRISPR-IL consortium. In 2022, it announced a collaboration with Tnuva to explore cultured-food production, extending the company’s cell-culture capabilities beyond therapeutic applications. The company’s public profile rose during the COVID-19 pandemic, when it investigated PLX cells as a possible treatment for severe disease associated with immune overactivation. In May 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration cleared a Phase II study application relating to PLX cells, according to the cited reference material. This clearance represented permission to investigate the approach, not proof of efficacy or regulatory approval for commercialization. In July 2022, Pluristem Therapeutics changed its corporate name to Pluri Inc. and changed its NASDAQ ticker from PSTI to PLUR. The rebranding reflected a broader platform identity encompassing cell therapy, regenerative medicine, and potential nonmedical applications such as cultivated food. Pluri remains a public, development-stage biotechnology company whose prospects depend on clinical evidence, regulatory progress, financing, manufacturing scale, and the ability to convert its placental-cell platform into approved products or commercial partnerships.
History
Pluri was founded in 2001 as Pluristem by Shai Meretzki, whose work grew out of stem-cell research conducted during his doctoral studies at the Technion’s Rappaport Faculty of Medicine. The scientific background also involved Shosh Merchav and researchers Dov Zipori and Avinoam Kadouri. The company’s central concept was to derive adherent stromal cells from postnatal human placentas and expand them for potential therapeutic use. In 2003, the NASDAQ-listed shell company A1 Software acquired Pluristem’s shares and patents. A1 Software then changed its name to Pluristem Life Systems. In 2007, the organization adopted the name Pluristem Therapeutics Inc. During this period its securities were traded on NASDAQ, the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, and the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. The company developed the PLX platform as an allogeneic, placenta-derived cell technology intended to provide immunomodulatory and regenerative effects without requiring a patient-specific cell harvest. The development portfolio included PLX-PAD, investigated in vascular and tissue-repair indications such as peripheral arterial disease, critical limb ischemia, intermittent claudication, and muscle injury following hip-fracture surgery. A multinational Phase II intermittent-claudication study completed enrollment of 172 patients in January 2017. The company also pursued PLX-R18 for inadequate hematopoietic recovery following bone-marrow or hematopoietic-cell transplantation and for acute radiation syndrome. The U.S. FDA cleared a Phase I study of PLX-R18 in 2016. Research associated with the program included work at Hadassah Hospital, Fukushima Medical University, and U.S. government research programs. Reference material reports favorable survival findings in a radiation study, but those findings should be understood as investigational rather than evidence of an approved treatment. Pluristem also reported compassionate-use administrations of PLX cells at Hadassah Medical Center in 2012. One report concerned a seven-year-old Romanian patient with bone-marrow aplasia whose prior transplants had failed; another concerned a 45-year-old patient with acute myeloid leukemia and pancytopenia. The company reported substantial clinical improvement in both cases. These individual cases were not substitutes for controlled clinical trials and do not establish general treatment efficacy. The company maintained a research agreement with Charité – Berlin University of Medicine from 2007 and received grants from the Israel Innovation Authority. From 2016, European Union Horizon 2020 support contributed to clinical and research programs, including work related to critical limb ischemia and post-surgical muscle injury. From 2020, Pluristem participated in the CRISPR-IL consortium, which sought to develop genetically edited PLX cells for unmet medical needs. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Pluristem investigated PLX cells as a potential intervention for severe disease, based on their proposed immunomodulatory properties. The FDA cleared an application for a Phase II study in May 2020. Again, the regulatory action enabled investigation and was not a marketing authorization. In December 2020, Pluri was recognized by the Genesis Prize and Start-Up Nation Central in an Israeli high-tech and biotechnology competition. In January 2022, it announced a partnership with Tnuva to investigate cultured food. The company subsequently presented the partnership at a NASDAQ closing-bell event and described ambitions to develop a raw cultured-food product. In July 2022, Pluristem Therapeutics changed its name to Pluri Inc. and its NASDAQ ticker from PSTI to PLUR. The new identity signaled an effort to present the business as a broader cell-platform company rather than solely as a therapeutic developer. Available reference material does not establish that the company has obtained broad commercial approval for a PLX therapeutic product.
- 2022
Rebrand to Pluri Inc.
[1]Pluristem Therapeutics changed its corporate name to Pluri Inc. and its NASDAQ ticker to PLUR.
- 2020
COVID-19 development program begins
[1]The company investigated PLX cells for severe COVID-19 and received FDA clearance for a Phase II study application.
- 2017
PLX-PAD intermittent-claudication study completes enrollment
[1]A multinational Phase II study of PLX-PAD in intermittent claudication completed enrollment of 172 patients.
- 2016
FDA clears PLX-R18 Phase I study
[1]The FDA permitted the company to proceed toward a Phase I study for incomplete hematopoietic recovery after transplantation.
- 2012
Compassionate-use PLX treatments reported
[1]Pluristem reported two compassionate-use cases at Hadassah Medical Center involving severe bone-marrow disorders.
- 2007
Company becomes Pluristem Therapeutics
[1]The company adopted the name Pluristem Therapeutics Inc. and continued development of its PLX cell platform.
- 2003
A1 Software acquires Pluristem
[1]NASDAQ-listed A1 Software acquired Pluristem’s shares and patents and changed its name to Pluristem Life Systems.
- 2001
Pluristem is founded
[1]Shai Meretzki founded the company around placenta-derived stem-cell technology associated with his Technion research.
Products and positioning
A development-stage biotechnology company using placenta-derived stromal cells as a scalable platform for regenerative medicine, immune modulation, hematopoietic support, and selected cultivated-food applications.
Placenta-derived cell therapy
PLX-PAD
PLX-PAD is an investigational placenta-derived cell product developed for conditions involving vascular insufficiency, tissue injury, and inflammation. Programs have included peripheral arterial disease, critical limb ischemia, intermittent claudication, and muscle injury associated with hip-fracture surgery. The product has been studied in clinical trials, including a multinational Phase II intermittent-claudication study and planned or cleared late-stage work in critical limb ischemia. The available references do not establish commercial approval.
Hematopoietic-support cell therapy
PLX-R18
PLX-R18 is an investigational PLX-cell program developed for inadequate hematopoietic recovery after bone-marrow or hematopoietic-cell transplantation and for acute radiation syndrome. The program originated in collaboration with academic researchers and has been evaluated through company, academic, and government-linked research. The FDA cleared a Phase I study for incomplete hematopoietic recovery. Radiation-related work has included research partnerships in Israel, Japan, and the United States.
Cell-therapy platform
PLX cell platform
The PLX platform consists of expanded adherent stromal cells obtained from postnatal human placentas. Pluri has positioned the cells as allogeneic and potentially scalable, with proposed immunomodulatory and regenerative effects. The platform has supported programs in ischemic disease, inflammatory conditions, hematopoietic recovery, radiation injury, and severe COVID-19. It remains a development technology rather than a broadly approved product portfolio in the supplied reference material.
Cultivated-food platform
Cultured-food technology
In 2022, Pluri announced a collaboration with Tnuva to explore sustainable cultured-food production using cell-culture capabilities. The partners described a proof-of-concept objective and an ambition to develop a raw cultured-food product. The supplied material does not confirm a commercial launch or regulatory authorization.
Marketing campaigns
- 2022Pluri–Tnuva cultured-food collaboration
Israel · International
Pluri and Tnuva announced a partnership to investigate sustainable cultured food and presented the collaboration at a NASDAQ closing-bell ceremony.
Outcome. The partners aimed to demonstrate a proof of concept and develop an initial raw cultured-food product; commercialization is not confirmed in the supplied material.
- 2020COVID-19 PLX development program
United States · Israel
Pluristem promoted investigation of PLX cells as an immunomodulatory approach for severe COVID-19, focusing on the possibility of reducing harmful immune overactivation.
Outcome. The FDA cleared a Phase II study application, but the supplied references do not establish a subsequent approved product or definitive clinical success.
Brand decisions
2022
Rebrand from Pluristem Therapeutics to PluriStrategyBackground
The company had historically been identified primarily with therapeutic development under the Pluristem name, while its cell-culture platform was being applied to additional areas.
Action taken
It changed its corporate name to Pluri Inc. and changed its NASDAQ ticker from PSTI to PLUR.
Aftermath
The rebrand presented the business as a broader cell-platform company. The supplied material does not provide financial results attributable to the change.
2022
Expansion into cultivated foodStrategyBackground
Pluri sought applications for its cell-culture capabilities beyond human therapeutics.
Action taken
The company partnered with Tnuva to research sustainable cultured-food production and pursue a proof of concept.
Aftermath
The partnership broadened Pluri’s stated commercial scope, although a completed commercial product launch is not confirmed.
Recent events
- 2022
Pluri and Tnuva collaborate on cultured food[1]
M&A · Product launch
Pluri announced a collaboration with Israeli food producer Tnuva to explore sustainable cultured-food production. The partners later participated in a NASDAQ closing-bell ceremony.
- 2022
Pluristem rebrands as Pluri and changes ticker[1]
Leadership change · Other
The company changed its name from Pluristem Therapeutics Inc. to Pluri Inc. and changed its NASDAQ ticker from PSTI to PLUR.
- 2020
Pluristem investigates PLX cells for severe COVID-19[1]
Product launch · Regulation
Pluristem began treating COVID-19 patients in an investigational setting and pursued regulatory clearance for a study of PLX cells intended to address severe disease and excessive immune activation.
- 2020
FDA authorizes a Phase II COVID-19 study application[1]
Regulation · Product launch
On May 8, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the company’s application to conduct a Phase II study of PLX cells for severe COVID-19. The action permitted clinical investigation and did not constitute product approval.
- 2020
Pluri receives recognition in Israeli biotechnology competition[1]
Other
Genesis Prize and Start-Up Nation Central named Pluri among the winners of a competition recognizing Israeli high-technology and biotechnology companies.
- 2016
FDA clears Phase I study of PLX-R18 for incomplete hematopoietic recovery[1]
Product launch
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized Pluristem to proceed toward a Phase I clinical study of PLX-R18 for patients with insufficient hematopoietic recovery after hematopoietic-cell transplantation.
- 2016
Pluristem expands radiation-injury research partnerships[1]
Other
The company announced a partnership with Fukushima Medical University to study placental-derived cell therapy in radiation-related applications and was invited to participate in a U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases program.
- 2012
Pluristem reports compassionate-use PLX treatment for child with bone-marrow aplasia[1]
Other
The company reported that PLX cells were administered under compassionate-use authorization to a seven-year-old patient at Hadassah Medical Center after two allogeneic stem-cell transplants had failed. Pluristem said the patient subsequently showed improvement in blood-cell counts.
- 2012
Pluristem reports a second compassionate-use bone-marrow case[1]
Other
Pluristem reported improvement in a 45-year-old patient with acute myeloid leukemia and pancytopenia after two intramuscular administrations of PLX cells at Hadassah Medical Center.
Sources4 sources
- 1Pluri Inc. — Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
- 2Pluristem Announces Pricing of Its Registered Direct Offering for Aggregate Proceeds of $15 Millionfinance.yahoo.com
- 3Pluristem Appoints Prof. Varda Shalev MD and Mr. Doron Birger to Join its Board of Directorsbiospace.com
- 4Pluristem Secures €50 Million Non-Dilutive Financing from the European Investment Bank to Support its COVID-19 Project and Phase III StudiesEXPECTED ONLINE SIGNING CEREMONY ON APRIL 30, 2020biospace.com
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/pluri-inc · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled