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Stem cells will soon be used to regenerate injured muscles now that the US Patent and Trademark Office on Thursday issued a patent to Haifa-based Pluristem Therapeutics Inc.The patent – which has already been granted in Europe, Hong Kong and Israel – was granted for the use of mesenchymal stem cells in skeletal muscle regeneration either directly after, or shortly after, post-surgical muscle injury.“This very important patent comes at the right time, just ahead of our planned Phase III study in muscle regeneration following hip fracture,” said Pluristem chairman and co-CEO Zami Aberman. “The patent substantially strengthens our intellectual property around muscle regeneration, particularly as it pertains to repair and regeneration following surgery. In an industry that demands constant technological and scientific advances, a robust patent portfolio covering our core innovations strengthens Pluristem’s competitive edge.”Pluristem received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicine Agency to test its treatment of muscle recovery following arthroplasty for hip fractures. This planned study was recently awarded $8.7 million by the Horizon 2020 program, the European Union’s largest research and innovation program.Previous clinical studies using PLX-PAD, or placental- derived adherent stromal, cells demonstrated significant muscle regeneration following an arthroplasty orthopedic surgical procedure.Those studies showed a 300% improvement in muscle volume and a 500% boost in muscle force six months after surgery compared to the control group.If the new study is successful, Pluristem plans to use the results to obtain marketing approval in the US and Europe.Pluristem is a leading developer of placenta-based cell therapy products, and one of the first to use the products, which have begun to be used more frequently in recent years. Today, the Human Placenta Project, a collaborative research effort launched by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, is helping the medical community understand the role of the placenta in human health. When Pluristem started, the technology was largely untapped.