The seaside tech hub of Haifa is home to a biotechnology company where a microcosm of Israel’s diverse population works together on innovations that save lives, showing Israelis what they can achieve by looking beyond religious and ethnic divisions.
Pluristem Therapeutics is committed to treating seemingly incurable medical conditions while providing a model for cooperation between Jews and Arabs at a time when productive coexistence is vital for both Israel and its neighbors.
CEO & President Yaky Yanay is committed to providing hope for all Israelis. “Tell your friends on the phone, on the internet about your Jewish friend that you really love; tell your friends about the Arab friend who works with you on the team, that you live together, eat together and dream together,” Yanay recently told his employees.
He knows his team is a powerful example of the innate potential of their mission to help fellow humans with their most fundamental medical needs. Working with the building blocks of life at a cellular level has given the staff at Pluristem a perspective on life that many don’t get to see.
“How hard it is to build. Who like us at Pluristem knows how much trust and faith it takes to build,” Yanay reminded his talented team. “We people who build, work, nurture family, try to do good and love our country and our lives in different ways, in different languages. We have nowhere to go but to learn to live and love each other.”
Their effort to advance medical technology is poised to launch Pluristem on a lucrative path. According to one report, the global research cell therapy market is expected to reach $23 billion USD by 2028.
The global research cell therapy market is expected to reach $23 billion USD by 2028.
Pluristem’s team of Arab, Christian, Druze and Jewish scientists and staff is currently celebrating their latest scientific breakthrough: a successful clinical study in hematology, using placental cells to help bone marrow regenerate blood cells. The cells are sourced from placentas donated by women who have just given birth. These cells have the potential to treat complex medical conditions by the secretion of therapeutic proteins in response to signals received from the patient’s body. These cell therapy product candidates are manufactured in Pluristem’s proprietary facility in a unique Placental Expanded (PLX) 3D bioreactor system.
Pluristem is at the forefront of this rapidly growing market, with its groundbreaking scientific innovations and focus on ethical coexistence. They are reimagining how medicine can be practiced in the twenty-first century by offering a successful model for others to replicate.
Not only are they fearless in their fight against disease, they are also intent on providing a reason for optimism in the midst of the Arab-Israeli conflict.
More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.