Israeli scientists have claimed that they can use a single placenta to cure as many as 20,000 coronavirus patients. The firm has already started treating the patients and is highly hopeful for positive outcomes as some patients have already shown significant improvement in symptoms.
The firm, Pluristem Therapeutics, has used the placenta to grow smart cells. These smart cells are then programmed to produce therapeutic proteins in the body of the patient suffering from COVID-19.
Using the same technology, the company has treated seven Israelis and one American so far. The company’s shares have noticed a massive surge after the release of information about the potential of the placenta in the treatment of coronavirus infected patients.
All of the seven Israelis survived after the treatment, out of which three will soon be moved off the ventilator. One of them, however, showed deterioration in the respiratory symptoms. The follow-up report on the American patient is yet to come.
The remaining three patients out of seven Israelis had multiple organ failure. Two of them showed signs of recovery as well as improvement in respiratory symptoms on follow-up. The last one of them is yet to be followed up because his treatment started late.
PLacental eXpanded (PLX) cells are stem cells called stromal cells that do not need to be genetically modified to produce a response in patients when injected. These cells are known to respond to distress signals caused by inflammation and trauma in the body by secreting therapeutic proteins.
These proteins, once produced, triggers the body’s own repair mechanism as well as the immune system to speed up the healing process.
So far, this technique has only been applied to a few patients and the company is seeking patient-by-patient approval in Israel as well as in the U.S. to collect the data. The patients currently being treated are not a part of a clinical trial. But a trial is expected to start soon.
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