SAN DIEGO, Oct. 14, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Aethlon Medical,
Inc. (NASDAQ:OTCQB:AEMD), announced today the first use of
Hemopurifier® therapy on a patient infected with Ebola virus.
The treatment was administered to a Ugandan doctor at the Frankfurt
University Hospital in Germany. The patient, who is also a
World Health Organization (WHO) worker, contracted the virus in
Sierra Leone.
The Aethlon Hemopurifier® is a first-in-class bio-filtration
device that targets the rapid elimination of viruses and
immunosuppressive proteins from the circulatory system of infected
individuals. At present, no antiviral therapy or vaccine has proven
to be effective against Ebola virus infection in humans. The
largest ebola virus epidemic in history is now spreading on a
global basis with more than 4,000 deaths being reported by the
WHO.
"We thank the physicians in Frankfurt for allowing us the opportunity
to treat this advanced-stage patient," stated Aethlon founder and
CEO, Jim Joyce. "Details
related to the patient's response to therapy will be
disclosed once hospital officials deem it appropriate to
report an update on the condition of this individual."
In the care of ebola-infected individuals, the Hemopurifier
targets two unmet medical needs: the rapid elimination of
circulating ebola to inhibit continued progeny virus replication
and the direct targeting of shed glycoproteins that overwhelm the
host immune response. The device can be deployed for use
within the global infrastructure of dialysis and CRRT machines
already located in hospitals and clinics.
Aethlon further disclosed that it is preparing to initiate U.S.
clinical studies of Hemopurifier therapy based on the United States
Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) approval of an Investigational
Device Exemption (IDE) that was previously submitted by the
Company. The study will contribute safety data to advance the
device as a broad-spectrum countermeasure against pandemic threats,
including ebola and chronic viral pathogens such as HIV and
Hepatitis C (HCV).
To date, Hemopurifier therapy has been
successfully administered in approximately one hundred
treatment experiences in health compromised HIV and HCV infected
individuals. These studies were conducted at the Apollo Hospital,
Fortis Hospital, Sigma New Life Hospital, and the Medanta Medicity
Institute, all located in India. In vitro validation
studies that demonstrated the ability of the Hemopurifier to
capture Zaire and other strains of
ebola virus were conducted by researchers at the United States Army
Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) and
the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC).
About Aethlon Medical, Inc.
Aethlon Medical creates medical devices that target unmet
therapeutic needs in infectious disease, cancer and
neurodegenerative disorders. The company's lead product
is the Aethlon Hemopurifier®, a first-in-class device that
selectively targets the rapid elimination of circulating viruses
and tumor-secreted exosomes that promote cancer progression.
Exosome Sciences, Inc. is a majority owned subsidiary that is
advancing exosome-based products to diagnose and monitor cancer,
infectious disease and neurological disorders. For more
information, please visit http://www.aethlonmedical.com/ and
connect with the Company on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and
Google+.
Certain statements herein may be forward-looking and involve
risks and uncertainties. Such forward-looking statements
involve assumptions, known and unknown risks, uncertainties and
other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or
achievements of Aethlon Medical, Inc. to be materially different
from any future results, performance, or achievements expressed or
implied by the forward-looking statements. Such potential risks and
uncertainties include, without limitation, that the ESI will not be
able to commercialize its future products, that the FDA will not
approve the initiation of the Company's clinical programs or
provide market clearance of the company's products, future human
studies whether revenue or non-revenue generating of the Aethlon
ADAPT™ system or the Aethlon Hemopurifier® as an adjunct therapy to
improve patient responsiveness to established cancer or hepatitis C
therapies or as a standalone cancer or hepatitis C therapy or as a
broad spectrum defense against viral pathogens, including ebola,
the Company's ability to raise capital when needed, the Company's
ability to complete the development of its planned products, the
Company's ability to manufacture its products either internally or
through outside companies and provide its services, the impact of
government regulations, patent protection on the Company's
proprietary technology, the ability of the Company to meet the
milestones contemplated in the DARPA contract, product liability
exposure, uncertainty of market acceptance, competition,
technological change, and other risk factors. In such instances,
actual results could differ materially as a result of a variety of
factors, including the risks associated with the effect of changing
economic conditions and other risk factors detailed in the
Company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings. The Company
undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any
forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information,
future events, or otherwise.
Contacts:
James A. Joyce
Chairman and CEO
(Office) 858.459.7800 x301
(Cell) 619-368-2000
jj@aethlonmedical.com
Jim Frakes
Chief Financial Officer
858.459.7800 x300
jfrakes@aethlonmedical.com
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SOURCE Aethlon Medical, Inc.