Science & Technology
Science and Technology
Science and Technology
Thu, February 26, 2009 Aethlon Medical Announces Cytomegalovirus (CMV) Research Program
SAN DIEGO--([ BUSINESS WIRE ])--Aethlon Medical, Inc. (OTCBB:AEMD) announced today it has initiated a research program to test the capabilities of the Aethlon Hemopurifier® to identify and capture Cytomegalovirus (CMV). The Hemopurifier® is a first-in-class medical device that assists the immune response in combating infectious disease through real-time therapeutic filtration of infectious viruses and immunosuppressive proteins from the entire circulatory system. Safety of the Hemopurifier® has been demonstrated in multi-site human studies, with robust viral load reductions observed in enrolled Hepatitis-C (HCV) infected patients. Safety and efficacy data resulting from the first use of the Hemopurifier® in an individual infected with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is forthcoming.
The market opportunity to extend the value of the Hemopurifier® into CMV care is significant. CMV is a common virus found throughout all geographic locations and socioeconomic groups. In the United States, between 50% and 80% of all adults are infected with CMV by 40 years of age. In general, CMV remains latent in the body unless activated by suppression of the immune system. In such cases, CMV becomes a major cause of disease and death in immune compromised individuals, including recipients of both organ and stem-cell transplants, patients undergoing hemo[ dialysis ], patients with [ cancer ], patients receiving [ immunosuppressive ] drugs, and [ HIV ] infected individuals, of which CMV is considered an AIDS-defining infection.
"Our CMV research programs will study both the therapeutic and diagnostic potential of our Hemopurifier®," stated Aethlon Chairman and CEO, Jim Joyce. "While CMV represents an exciting new market opportunity, our immediate goals remain the establishment of a GMP manufacturing relationship and the hopeful demonstration that our Hemopurifier® is able to reduce viral load in both HCV and HIV infected individuals, which likely would be the first such accomplishment by a single therapeutic candidate," concluded Joyce.
About Aethlon Medical
Aethlon Medical creates diagnostic and therapeutic filtration devices to improve the health of individuals afflicted with infectious disease and cancer. Our lead product, the Aethlon Hemopurifier®, is a first-in-class artificial adjunct to the immune system proven to capture infectious viruses and immunosuppressive particles from the human circulatory system. The device targets to inhibit disease progression of Hepatitis-C Virus (HCV) and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), and serves as a broad-spectrum treatment countermeasure against bioterror and emerging pandemic threats. The Hemopurifier® also holds promise in cancer care, as research studies verify the Hemopurifier® effectively captures immunosuppressive exosomes that are secreted by tumors to kill-off immune cells. At present, over sixty-five (65) Hemopurifier® treatments (representing approximately 260 hours of treatment time) have been conducted in multi-site studies at the Apollo Hospital, Fortis Hospital, and Sigma New-Life Hospital in India. The studies enrolled end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients infected with either HCV or HIV. In addition to establishing treatment safety, robust viral load reductions have been reported in HCV-infected patients who completed a three-treatment protocol during the course of one week.
Research studies have also demonstrated the Hemopurifier® is effective in capturing a broad-spectrum of viruses untreatable with drug therapy, including several of world's deadliest bioterror and pandemic threats. These include: Dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF), Ebola hemorrhagic fever (EHF), Lassa hemorrhagic fever (LHF), H5N1 avian influenza (Bird Flu), the reconstructed 1918 influenza virus (r1918), West Nile virus (WNV), and Vaccinia and Monkeypox (MPV), which both serve as models for human smallpox infection. The studies were conducted with the assistance of researchers representing: The U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID); The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); The National Institute of Virology (NIV); The Battelle Biomedical Research Center (BBRC); and The Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research (SFBR).
Beyond therapeutic market opportunities, Aethlon is leveraging principles underlying the Hemopurifier® technology platform to establish a pipeline of clinical and research diagnostic products and services. Additional information regarding Aethlon Medical can be accessed online at [ www.aethlonmedical.com ].
Certain of the 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, the Company's ability to raise capital when needed, the Company's ability to complete the development of its planned products, the ability of the Company to obtain FDA and other regulatory approvals permitting the sale of its products, the Company's ability to manufacture its products and provide its services, the impact of government regulations, patent protection on the Company's proprietary technology, 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.
