Aethlon Medical, Inc. (OTCBB:AEMD), San Diego, Calif., a pioneer in
developing medical devices to treat infectious disease, has filed a
provisional patent entitled, "Affinity Capture of Circulating
Cancer Biomarkers," with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
(USPTO). The patent describes the use of the Aethlon Hemopurifier(R) as
a device that fills the unmet need of identifying circulating cancer
biomarkers to assist in early detection of cancer, monitor cancer
treatment, and detect cancer recurrence. The blood represents a rich
source of cancer biomarkers, as tumors secrete exosomes and shed other
macromolecules and cellular components that reach the bloodstream. The
Hemopurifier(R) addresses the previous challenge of isolating and
identifying low-abundant cancer biomarkers from the complex mixture of
substances contained in blood.
"Beyond our opportunity to enter the cancer therapy market, we
need to ensure our intellectual property estate also protects the use of
the Hemopurifier(R) as an ultra sensitive method to diagnose the
earliest stages of cancer," stated James A. Joyce, Chairman and CEO
of Aethlon Medical.
Researchers recently discovered the Aethlon Hemopurifier(R)
captures tumor secreted exosomes that inhibit the ability of the immune
system to combat cancer. Follow-on studies, led by Dr. Douglas Taylor at
the University of Louisville, documented that the capture of exosomes by
the Hemopurifier(R) results in reversing the immunosuppressive activity
associated with cancer. Dr. Taylor is a recognized authority on the
causative effects of immune suppression in cancer patients. He is
credited with the initial characterization of exosomes and is a leading
peer reviewed author on the subject. Based on emerging data, Aethlon
believes the Hemopurifier(R) will evolve to become an adjunct treatment
standard to enhance the benefit of therapies administered to cancer
patients.
About Aethlon Medical
Aethlon Medical is the developer of the Hemopurifier(R), a
first-in-class medical device to treat infectious disease. The
Hemopurifier(R) addresses the largest opportunity in infectious disease,
the treatment of drug and vaccine resistant viruses. The Hemopurifier(R)
is a single use extracorporeal device that converges hollow-fiber
filtration technology with immobilized affinity agents to capture
viruses and soluble glycoproteins from the blood. The device has been
designed to mimic the natural immune response of clearing infectious
viruses and immunosuppressive proteins from circulation. Regulatory and
commercialization initiatives in the United States are focused on
bioterror threats, while international initiatives are directed towards
naturally evolving pandemic threats, and chronic infectious disease
conditions including Hepatitis-C (HCV) and the Human Immunodeficiency
Virus (HIV). Collaborative studies to demonstrate utility of the
Hemopurifier(R) are being conducted with researchers at the Government
of India's National Institute of Virology (NIV), The Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), The United States Army Medical
Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), and The Southwest
Foundation for Biomedical Research (SFBR). Aethlon recently demonstrated
safety of the Hemopurifier(R) in a 24-treatment human study and is now
conducting follow-on safety studies at the Fortis Hospital in Delhi,
India. The company has also submitted an Investigational Device
Exemption (IDE) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) related
to advancing the Hemopurifier(R) as a broad-spectrum treatment
countermeasure against category "A" bioterror threats.
For more information, visit http://www.aethlonmedical.com or call
858/459-7800, ext. 302.
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