UAE and Israel sign agreement to cooperate on stem cell research

The Abu Dhabi Stem Cells Centre (ADSSC) has signed a MoU with Israeli firm Pluristem Therapeutics Inc. to collaborate on R&D of services and products related to regenerative medicine, including those that can be used to combat the Covid-19 pandemic, official news agency WAM reported on Monday.

With this collaboration, both the UAE and Israel will rely on the expertise of each other in cell therapies to deliver solutions around regenerative medicine.

“The UAE has always been inclusive in its approach to finding solutions to global challenges, bringing together the many competencies of people from diverse countries,” said Dr. Fatima Al Kaabi, executive director of the Abu Dhabi Bone Marrow Transplant programme.

“We at ADSCC have followed suit, as is evident in the diversity of expertise among my colleagues and our international partners,” she added.

Pluristem has treated patients with its placental PLX-PAD allogenic product via compassionate use programmes in Israel and the US and is currently conducting phase II studies in the US and EU.

ADSCC meanwhile has been treating Covid-19 patients with its patented and approved UAECell19 product which is believed to bring reduce the clinical recovery time by half and the hospital stay duration to a quarter of the average.

ADSSC and Pluristem will exchange research results, share samples, join usage of equipment and testing, and other essential activities related to advancing the treatment and research of cell therapies.

“We are extremely proud to partner with our colleagues at ADSCC by sharing knowledge and expertise that will advance healthcare within and across our borders. We see life science and regenerative medicine as a bridge for building peace, prosperity, and well-being in our region and for the entire world,” said Yaki Yanai, CEO and president of Pluristem.

Following a historic agreement between Israel and the UAE last week, Emirati company APEX National Investment signed a strategic commercial agreement with the Israeli TeraGroup to research and study the Covid-19 virus.

Read: UAE, Israeli companies agree to jointly combat Covid-19 and develop testing device

The agreement also includes developing a coronavirus testing device to speed up the overall testing process, and to ensure that the tests are carried out with greater accuracy, while aiming to achieve a greater overall number of tests undertaken to screen for the virus.