Approval from Loewenstein Medical Center enables patient identification for Company's planned first-in-human spinal cord injury study
TEL AVIV, Israel, July 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Matricelf Ltd. (TASE: MTLF), a regenerative medicine company developing personalized, autologous engineered neural tissue for the treatment of spinal cord injury (SCI), today announced that it has received approval from the Helsinki Committee (Institutional Review Board) and the Director of Loewenstein Rehabilitation Medical Center, Israel's leading rehabilitation hospital and one of the country's premier referral centers for spinal cord injury, to begin collecting blood samples from eligible patients with complete thoracic spinal cord injury (AIS A, T2-T12).
The collected blood samples will be used to generate induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), which are intended to serve as the cellular component of Matricelf's personalized autologous neural implant.
The approval enables the Company to begin identifying and preparing eligible patients for its planned first-in-human clinical study, representing another important operational milestone toward clinical initiation. Collaborating with one of Israel's leading spinal cord injury rehabilitation centers provides access to a highly specialized multidisciplinary clinical team and a concentrated population of potential study candidates, supporting efficient patient identification and future clinical execution.
The approval is limited to blood collection and does not authorize implantation in humans or initiation of the clinical trial, both of which remain subject to additional regulatory and ethics approvals, including authorization from the Israeli Ministry of Health.
"This approval is another meaningful step in our systematic transition from advanced preclinical development into the clinic," said Gil Hakim, Chief Executive Officer of Matricelf. "Partnering with Loewenstein Medical Center, Israel's leading spinal cord injury rehabilitation hospital, is strategically important because it allows us to establish the clinical infrastructure and patient identification pathway required for our planned first-in-human study. Together with our recent GLP safety results, GMP manufacturing progress and ongoing regulatory interactions, we continue to systematically reduce execution risk as we advance toward clinical development."
The announcement follows a series of significant milestones achieved by the Company in recent months, including:
- Successful completion of its GLP IND-enabling safety study, achieving all predefined safety endpoints.
- Initiation of GMP clinical manufacturing activities for the Company's personalized autologous neural implants.
- Continued advancement of efficacy studies supporting the therapeutic potential of the platform.
- Ongoing regulatory interactions supporting the Company's planned first-in-human clinical program.
- Establishment of clinical collaboration with Loewenstein Medical Center, one of Israel's premier spinal cord injury referral centers, supporting patient identification and future clinical execution.
Collectively, these milestones represent continued execution of Matricelf's clinical development strategy and further reduce operational risk as the Company advances toward first-in-human studies.
Matricelf's investigational therapy is designed as a personalized engineered neural tissue implant combining patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) with a proprietary extracellular matrix hydrogel generated from the patient's own omentum tissue. The implant is intended to replace damaged neural tissue using entirely autologous biological components, with the goal of restoring neurological function while minimizing the risk of immune rejection.
About Matricelf
Matricelf is a regenerative medicine company developing personalized autologous engineered tissue therapies based on the patient's own cells and extracellular matrix. Its lead program is focused on spinal cord injury, with the broader potential to expand its platform technology into additional regenerative medicine indications.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including statements regarding the Company's development plans, manufacturing activities, regulatory submissions, anticipated clinical milestones, timing of first-in-human studies and the potential therapeutic applications of its technology. These statements are based on current expectations and assumptions and involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially, including risks related to research and development, manufacturing, regulatory approvals, financing, clinical outcomes and other factors described in the Company's public filings. Matricelf undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements except as required by law.
CONTACT INFO:
Gil Hakim
CEO
Matricelf
Tel: +972-52-5263351
[email protected]
SOURCE Matricelf Ltd.
