Aethlon Medical Expands Clinical Research Studies to Include Chikungunya Virus

SAN DIEGO, June 4, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Aethlon Medical, Inc. (OTCQB:AEMD), the pioneer in creating affinity biofiltration devices to treat life-threatening diseases, disclosed today that it has entered into an agreement with the National Institute of Virology (NIV) to begin testing of the Aethlon Hemopurifier® as a candidate to treat Chikungunya, a debilitating mosquito-borne virus that is not addressed with proven antiviral drug or vaccine therapies.  In late 2013, Chikungunya was identified for the first time in the Americas on islands in the Caribbean.  Since then, transmission of the virus has been identified in 44 countries or territories throughout the Americas with more than 1.2 million suspected cases reported to the Pan American Health Organization.

The NIV is one of the major institutes of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and is a World Health Organization (WHO) collaborating center for arbovirus and hemorrhagic virus research.  In previous NIV studies, the Aethlon Hemopurifier® was validated to capture Dengue virus from human blood serum. 

The Aethlon Hemopurifier is an affinity biofiltration device that targets the rapid elimination of infectious viruses and cancer promoting exosomes from the circulatory system of treated individuals.  In the treatment of infectious viral pathogens, the Hemopurifier provides a candidate solution for antiviral drug resistance and serves as a first-line countermeasure against viruses that are not addressed with proven drug therapies.  To date, Hemopurifier therapy has been successfully administered to individuals infected with Ebola virus (Ebola), Hepatitis C virus (HCV) and the Human Immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

A U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved clinical study of Hemopurifier therapy is currently being conducted in HCV-infected end-stage renal disease patients. Additionally, Hemopurifier clinical protocols to treat Ebola virus have recently been approved by both the FDA and the Medical Devices Bureau of Health Canada.

About Aethlon Medical, Inc.

Aethlon Medical creates affinity biofiltration devices to treat life-threatening diseases.  Our lead therapeutic candidate is the Aethlon Hemopurifier®, a first-in-class device that targets the rapid elimination of infectious viruses and cancer promoting exosomes from the circulatory system of treated individuals.  We also provide government contracting services to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) related to the development of a biofiltration device to treat sepsis. Our majority owned subsidiary Exosome Sciences, Inc., is advancing exosome-based liquid biopsies to diagnose and monitor Cancer and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), a neurodegenerative disorder often found in individuals with a history of repetitive brain trauma.  

About The Aethlon Hemopurifier® 

Of the hundreds of viruses known to be infectious to man, antiviral drug therapies are approved for fewer than ten.  The Aethlon Hemopurifier® provides a broad-spectrum therapeutic strategy to address drug resistant viral pathogens.  To date, Hemopurifier therapy has been administered to individuals infected with Ebola virus (Ebola), Hepatitis C virus (HCV) and the Human Immunodeficiency virus (HIV).  Time Magazine recently named the Hemopurifier to their list of 'Top 25 Inventions" and "The 11 Most Remarkable Advances in Healthcare." Beyond human treatment experiences, pre-clinical Hemopurifier studies have validated the capture of some of world's deadliest pathogens. These include: Dengue hemorrhagic fever, Lassa hemorrhagic fever, H5N1 avian influenza, H1N1 swine flu virus, the reconstructed 1918 influenza virus, West Nile virus and Vaccinia and Monkeypox, which serve as models for human smallpox infection.  U.S. clinical progression of Hemopurifier therapy is being advanced under FDA approved clinical studies.

We are also investigating the use of Hemopurifier therapy to capture tumor-derived exosomes, a significant unaddressed therapeutic target in cancer care. Tumor-derived exosomes promote cancer progression through multiple mechanisms, which include seeding the spread of metastasis and direct suppression of the immune response.  In regards to our therapeutic mechanism of action, the Hemopurifier incorporates a patented affinity technique that allows for selective binding to a unique structure that resides on the surface of tumor-derived exosomes and glycoproteins that coat infectious viruses.  Additional information can be found online at www.AethlonMedical.com or you can connect with us on 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 Chikungunya and 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:

Aethlon Medical Contact:

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 

David Zazoff
MDM Worldwide Solutions
646-403-3554
dzazoff@mdmworldwide.com

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SOURCE Aethlon Medical, Inc.