HAIFA, Israel, July 31, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pluristem Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq:PSTI) (TASE:PLTR), a leading developer of placenta-based cell therapies, today announced the results of new preclinical tests that show its PLacental eXpanded (PLX) cells may be effective in reducing pulmonary fibrosis and improving lung function in a group of diseases collectively called interstitial lung disease (ILD). ILD includes the pulmonary insults occurring in the lung following its exposure to drugs, radiation or toxic chemicals and the pulmonary complications of systemic autoimmune diseases. More than 200,000 people have been diagnosed with ILD in the United States, and nearly five million people have been diagnosed worldwide. It is estimated that more than 40,000 patients die each year from ILD.
