Back to Archived News
Aethlon Medical Files Cancer Diagnostic Patent
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
San Diego, CA -- Aethlon Medical, Inc. (OTCBB: AEMD), a pioneer in developing medical devices to treat infectious disease, disclosed today it 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® 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® 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® 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® 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® 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® 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®, a first-in-class medical device to treat infectious disease. The Hemopurifier® addresses the largest opportunity in infectious disease, the treatment of drug and vaccine resistant viruses. The Hemopurifier® 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® 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® 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® as a broad-spectrum treatment countermeasure against category "A" bioterror threats. Additional information regarding Aethlon Medical and its Hemopurifier® technology 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.
Back to Archived News
