Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) Validation

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^{Published in Health and Fitness on Thursday, April 26th 2012 at 6:40 GMT by Market Wire}  

Aethlon Medical Note: Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) Validation -- SAN DIEGO, April 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

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SAN DIEGO, April 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Aethlon Medical, Inc. (OTCBB: AEMD), today released the following note authored by its Chairman and CEO, Jim Joyce.

(Photo: [ http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090325/LA88762LOGO-b ])

Our Aethlon ADAPT™ (Adaptive Dialysis-like Affinity Platform Technology) system converges plasma membrane technology and affinity drug agents as a basis to create novel device-based therapies that are able to target the selective removal of disease-enhancing agents from the entire circulatory system.  In the case of the Aethlon Hemopurifier®, we immobilize a lectin affinity agent known as "galanthus nivalis agglutinin" (GNA), which is a naturally occurring complex protein that binds to a unique high mannose structure found on the surface of glycoproteins that coat infectious viruses.  In human studies, Hemopurifier® therapy has demonstrated very promising results in HIV and hepatitis C (HCV) infected individuals.  Additionally, the device has been proven to capture a broad-spectrum of category "A" bioterror and pandemic threats.

In this note, I am pleased to disclose that our researchers have validated that GNA effectively binds human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), which has been a target of interest to transplant surgeons that have previously reached out to us.  While this is an early pre-clinical data point, it should be noted that HCMV is reported to infect between 50-80% of adults in the United States, and is known to be a major cause of disease and death in immune-compromised individuals.  This includes organ transplant recipients, hemodialysis patients, cancer patients, patients receiving immunosuppressive drugs, and HIV-infected individuals.  HCMV has also been linked to a variety of congenital abnormalities as well as arterial hypertension.  While our primary infectious disease focus is to commercialize the Hemopurifier® in HCV care, I do appreciate that our research team has expanded the potential utility of our device to include another highly prevalent disease condition.

About Aethlon Medical

The Aethlon Medical mission is to create innovative medical devices that address unmet medical needs in cancer, infectious disease, and other life-threatening conditions. Our Aethlon ADAPT™ System is a revenue-stage technology platform that provides the basis for a new class of therapeutics that target the selective removal of disease enabling particles from the entire circulatory system. The Aethlon ADAPT™ product pipeline includes the Aethlon Hemopurifier® to address infectious disease and cancer; HER2osome™ to target HER2+ breast cancer, and a medical device being developed under a contract with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) that would reduce the incidence of sepsis in combat-injured soldiers and civilians. For more information, please visit [ www.aethlonmedical.com ].

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, the clinical benefit of binding the human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) and other viruses, there is no assurance that FDA will approve the initiation of the Company's clinical programs or provide market clearance of the company's products, future human studies of the Aethlon ADAPT™ system or the Aethlon Hemopurifier® as an adjunct therapy to improve patient responsiveness to established cancer therapies, 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, 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.

Contacts:

James A. Joyce
Chairman and CEO
858.459.7800 x301
[ jj@aethlonmedical.com ]

Jim Frakes
Chief Financial Officer
858.459.7800 x300
[ jfrakes@aethlonmedical.com ]

Marc Robins
877.276.2467
[ mr@aethlonmedical.com ]

SOURCE Aethlon Medical, Inc.

RELATED LINKS
[ http://www.aethlonmedical.com ]