HACKENSACK, N.J. and PETACH TIKVAH, Israel, Feb. 5, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: BCLI), a leading developer of adult stem cell therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases, announced today the appointment of Anthony (Tony) Polverino, Ph.D., to its board of directors. Dr. Polverino is a highly accomplished senior biopharmaceutical executive with more than 25 years' industry experience in drug research and development.

"We are honored to have Dr. Polverino join our board of directors," said Chaim Lebovits, president and chief executive officer of BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics. "His extensive experience in the biotech industry and in academic research, which includes senior roles at Kite, a Gilead Company and Amgen, will be invaluable as we continue to develop NurOwn ^® as a potential breakthrough treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and pursue development of our pipeline candidates in other CNS diseases. We look forward to the strategic insights and contributions he will make."

Dr. Polverino is currently the interim chief scientific officer of Kite (now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Gilead Sciences), which he joined in 2015, and where he is currently responsible for establishing Kite's strategic non-clinical R&D roadmap to support its current and future portfolio. Prior to this, he was the vice president of research at Kite, where his responsibilities included corporate goal setting, budget allocation, scientific and investor interactions, business development in-licensing and partnership deals. Dr. Polverino spent 20 years in positions of increasing responsibilities at Amgen, Inc., most recently as executive director of its Therapeutic Innovation Unit, where he managed research programs in oncology, metabolic disease, inflammatory disease and schizophrenia. Prior to Amgen, he was a postdoctoral scientist at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, where he worked primarily on oncology research. Dr. Polverino is an author of several patents, and has been published in nearly 40 scientific and peer-reviewed journals. He earned a B.Sc. in Biochemistry/Physiology and a B.Sc. (Honors) in Pharmacology, both from Adelaide University in Adelaide, Australia and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Flinders University, also in Adelaide.

"I am excited to have the opportunity to join Brainstorm's board of directors," said Dr. Polverino. "Brainstorm is developing innovative treatments for patients with neurodegenerative diseases and I look forward to providing scientific and business guidance to the company."

About NurOwn^®
NurOwn^® utilizes a patient's own cells which have been engineered outside the body, to produce and secrete factors known to promote neuronal survival. NurOwn^® has the potential to be the first ALS treatment to improve patient functioning as a regenerative medicine. Regenerative medicine solutions are desperately needed in the field of neurodegenerative diseases as current therapies have limited efficacy, only slow progression and do not maintain or restore function. NurOwn^® is currently being tested in a multi-site Phase 3 clinical trial in the U.S. and, if successful, the results from this trial will submitted to the FDA and other regulatory authorities around the world with the goal of obtaining marketing approval. BrainStorm has completed two single arm clinical trials which established the safety profile of NurOwn^® and provided indications of a treatment benefit. Additionally, the company has completed a double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 2 study at three prestigious academic medical centers in the US.  In this study, clinically meaningful changes in functioning were observed in patients receiving NurOwn^®.

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 approximately 70 patients with ALS in clinical trials conducted in the United States and Israel.  In a randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial conducted in the U. S., a clinically meaningful benefit was demonstrated by higher response to NurOwn® compared with placebo. For more information, visit the company's website at www.brainstorm-cell.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. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release 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.

CONTACTS
Corporate:
Uri Yablonka
Chief Business Officer
BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics Inc.
Phone: 646-666-3188
uri@brainstorm-cell.com

Investors:
Michael Rice
LifeSci Advisors LLC
Phone: 646-597-6979
mrice@lifesciadvisors.com

Media:
Matt Middleman, M.D.
LifeSci Public Relations, LLC
Phone: 646-627-8384
matt@lifescipublicrelations.com

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SOURCE BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics Inc.