How Israeli biotech firm delivers innovative radiation treatment to Ukraine Nuclear fears drive precautionary measures

About two weeks after a Russian drone struck the radiation containment cover at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in February 2025, Israeli biotech firm Pluri signed a deal to help Ukraine prepare for radiation emergencies. Specializing in placenta-based cell technology, Pluri partnered with Ukrainian cord blood bank Hemafund to stockpile its placental expanded cell therapy, PLX-R18, as a potential treatment for life-threatening radiation sickness.

The nearly three-year war between Russia and Ukraine has amplified fears of nuclear fallout, which, according to an article by The Times of Israel is only heightened by the fact that hematopoietic acute radiation syndrome (H-ARS), the condition that occurs after high-level radiation exposure, can cause death within a few weeks if not effectively treated.

For two decades, Haifa-based Pluri (formerly Pluristem) has developed 3D bioreactor technology to expand placenta-derived stem cells. These cells, donated from cesarean births, are cultivated in an environment that mimics the human body, allowing a single placenta to generate billions of cells — enough to treat over 20,000 patients. “Cells are the building blocks of life,” said Pluri’s chief commercial officer Nimrod Bar Zvi. In bioreactors, cells latch onto scaffolds, communicate, and secrete proteins, replicating natural growth conditions. Once injected into muscle tissue, the expanded cells stimulate the regeneration of blood cells, helping the body recover from radiation exposure.

Plasma-regeneration therapy

Pluri’s therapy regenerates all three major blood cell types: white cells, red cells, and platelets. Under the agreement, and pending government and private sector funding, Pluri will initially supply 12,000 doses of PLX-R18 — enough to treat 6,000 patients — to be stored by Hemafund and distributed across Ukraine as needed.

The Israeli biotech firm reported that its PLX-R18 therapy has been safely tested in both humans and animals. In recent animal studies, survival rates after radiation exposure rose from 29% in the placebo group to 97% among those treated with PLX-R18. When administered as a preventive treatment — once 24 hours before radiation exposure and again 72 hours afterward — survival rates improved from 4% in the placebo group to 74% in the treated group.

The US drug regulator FDA has cleared an Investigational New Drug application for PLX-R18 for treating radiation sickness and granted it "Orphan Drug Designation" status, allowing Pluri to deploy the therapy in the event of a nuclear disaster.

According to Bar Zvi, no other known treatments for radiation poisoning currently use placenta-derived stem cells, and Pluri’s method allows for large-scale production. The partners also plan to seek regulatory approval from Ukraine’s health ministry to register PLX-R18 as an official radiation countermeasure, a move that could generate over $100 million in value for both sides.

Publicly traded on Nasdaq and the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, Pluri operates a large-scale cell therapy manufacturing facility at the Matam Advanced Technology Park in Haifa. The firm, employing 130 people, says its plant could be rapidly mobilized to meet global emergencies if nuclear threats escalate.

By Nazrin Sadigova