HACKENSACK, N.J. and PETACH TIKVAH, Israel, Dec. 1, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:BCLI), a leading developer of adult stem cell technologies for neurodegenerative diseases, and Octane Biotech Inc., a Canadian company that focuses on clinical systems for cell and tissue therapy, announced today that they have made significant progress toward the development of a novel bioreactor for industrial-scale manufacture of BrainStorm's NurOwn^® neurotrophic-factor secreting mesenchymal stem cells. The companies have completed key development activities related to the customization of specific features of Octane's Cocoon™ instrumentation platform to enable efficient delivery of BrainStorm's NurOwn^® stem cell therapy. The collaborative program has generated a NurOwn^® therapy-specific cassette that is employed as a disposable cartridge within the standard Cocoon™ platform, along with a dedicated software program to deliver and track the NurOwn^® process. The project is supported by a grant awarded by the Canada-Israel Industrial Research and Development Foundation (CIIRDF).

Octane's Cocoon cell therapy system integrates upstream and downstream processing including cell source isolation and cell expansion, cell collection, cell washing and final product formation, in a closed, single-use disposable cassette.  By integrating multiple steps in combination with biosensor feedback, this highly innovative technology, unlike other bioreactor systems, is expected to permit substantial upscaling of patient-scale cell manufacturing capabilities, allowing streamlined production of cell therapies under GMP conditions. 

With the Cocoon system available as a routine evaluation platform, the teams at BrainStorm and Octane are now working to further refine development of the cassettes that will be used in the automated bioreactors to manufacture NurOwn^® stem cells.

"The development of an advanced, scalable and automated system for the manufacture of NurOwn^® for commercial supply is important goal for BrainStorm," stated Chaim Lebovits, CEO of BrainStorm.  "The progress we have made, by leveraging Octane's Cocoon system, moves us one step closer to our ultimate goal of providing patients and physicians with an improved standard of care for treating neurodegenerative diseases."

Dr. Timothy Smith, CEO of Octane Biotech further commented, "The Octane Cocoon platform was designed to automate the complex production sequences in autologous cell manufacturing. Our customization of the Cocoon cassette to incorporate BrainStorm's proprietary NurOwn^® technology is a perfect example of how we closely interact with our corporate clients and partners.  We are pleased to be working with BrainStorm, and look forward to helping advance their important work."

Octane Biotech has partnerships with a number of leading healthcare companies and academic centers.  The Cocoon technology is currently being evaluated in a partnership with Lonza Group Ltd. with the goal of developing the platform for a wide range of autologous and matched-allogenic cell therapy products.  

About BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics Inc.
BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics Inc. is a biotechnology company engaged in the development of first-of-its-kind adult stem cell therapies derived from autologous bone marrow cells for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.  The Company holds the rights to develop and commercialize its NurOwn^® technology through an exclusive, worldwide licensing agreement with Ramot, the technology transfer company of Tel Aviv University.  NurOwn^® has been administered to over 60 patients with ALS in clinical trials conducted in Israel and the United States, and is currently being studied in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial at three major clinical centers in the United States.  For more information, visit the company's website at www.brainstorm-cell.com.

About Octane Technology
Octane Cocoon™ is an integrated turnkey cell production solution that can be configured as a compact but powerful system with a small footprint, or as a multi-patient system for ultra-efficient, enterprise-level deployment.  Please visit www.octaneco.com/cocoon for more information about the regenerative medicine platform solutions available from Octane.

About Octane Biotech Inc.
Octane is a medical technology company with the most advanced bioreactors, bioprocesses and biomaterials for regenerative medicine. We partner with cell therapy and medical device companies to develop and manufacture game-changing regenerative medicine solutions. Through our product customization and commercialization services, we adapt our product lines to specialized clinical applications. By doing what we do, we pioneer technologies that transform the lives of patients and create market-leading business opportunities for our global commercial partners. More information is available at www.octaneco.com

Safe Harbor Statement
Statements in this announcement other than historical data and information constitute "forward-looking statements" and involve risks and uncertainties that could cause BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics Inc.'s actual results to differ materially from those stated or implied by such forward-looking statements.  Terms and phrases such as "may", "should", "would", "could", "will", "expect", "likely", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "predict", "potential", and similar terms and phrases are intended to identify these forward-looking statements.  The potential risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, risks associated with BrainStorm's limited operating history, history of losses; minimal working capital, dependence on its license to Ramot's technology; ability to adequately protect the technology; dependence on key executives and on its scientific consultants; ability to obtain required regulatory approvals; and other factors detailed in BrainStorm's annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q available at http://www.sec.gov.  These factors should be considered carefully, and readers should not place undue reliance on BrainStorm's forward-looking statements.  These forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, expectations and opinions of management as of the date of this press release.  We do not assume any obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect actual results or assumptions if circumstances or management's beliefs, expectations or opinions should change, unless otherwise required by law.  Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements.

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SOURCE BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics Inc.