SAN DIEGO - March 5, 2014 (Investorideas.com newswire) Aethlon Medical, Inc. (
OTCBB:AEMD),
and its diagnostic subsidiary, Exosome Sciences, Inc. (ESI), announced
today that its researchers have successfully isolated brain-specific
biomarkers associated with a variety of neurodegenerative disorders. The
discoveries could have implications in the diagnosis, monitoring and
treatment of Alzheimer's Disease (AD), Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy
(CTE) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Aethlon Medical develops
therapeutic filtration devices to address infectious disease, cancer and
other life-threatening conditions. ESI develops exosome-based
solutions to diagnose and monitor acute and chronic conditions.
The research studies provided evidence that exosomes can serve as a
"liquid biopsy" to diagnose neurologic conditions. While exosomes from
the central nervous system have previously been identified in the
cerebrospinal fluid, the Aethlon-ESI study identified exosomes carrying
brain-specific markers tau, beta-amyloid, glycoprotein A2B5 and S100B
protein in the peripheral circulation of affected individuals. The
discoveries provide a basis for an exosome-based platform that could
enable the simultaneous identification of multiple brain specific
markers that are transported across the blood-brain barrier and into the
circulatory system.
CTE is a progressive degenerative disease, which at present can
only be definitively diagnosed postmortem. CTE has been most commonly
found at autopsy in former professional football players and has also
been demonstrated to be prevalent in soldiers exposed to blast injury.
The hallmark of CTE is the accumulation of tau, an abnormal protein that
strangles brains cells in areas that control memory, emotions and other
functions. TBI or repetitive brain trauma, including concussions and
sub-concussive blows to the head contribute to the onset of CTE.
AD is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the
disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death.
Beta-amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles have long been
recognized as a common pathologic hallmark of AD. In 2010, it was
estimated that 36 million people worldwide were living with AD.
"This advancement represents a new paradigm for brain injuries. In
addition to providing definitive diagnosis, the proteomic and
transcriptomic characterization of exosomes isolated specifically from
the brain will provide a window into the molecular mechanisms underlying
acute and chronic brain injuries," stated ESI Chief Scientific Officer,
Dr. Douglas Taylor.
As a result of the discoveries, brain-derived exosomes can be
specifically isolated and the protein and RNA cargoes identified. In
studies of brain tissue, specific RNAs have been associated with
development of neurological disorders, contributing to the onset and
progression of brain injuries. Exosomal RNA and protein cargoes
represent surrogates to brain biopsies and have utility as stable,
clinically accessible biomarkers for brain injury detection,
stratification of patients and therapeutic outcomes.
"With the exosome-based technologies developed by our group, we are
at the verge of breakthroughs for the management and treatment of brain
injuries and diseases that have been associated with disability and
death," stated Dr. Cicek Gercel-Taylor, Clinical Research Director at
ESI.
Circulating biomarkers have been proposed for the definitive
diagnosis and monitoring treatment of brain injuries. The approach
would enable diagnosing the condition, identifying processes that are
difficult to image, monitoring responses to interventions, and
predicting those who are at risk for long-term neurologic consequences.
However, circulating biomarkers such as free protein and nucleic acids
are extremely unstable in circulation, thus a high steady-state must be
reached for detection, which is generally not observed except in severe
cases. To circumvent these issues, exosome-associated biomarkers can be
utilized as they are stable and detectable in the circulation.
"An exosome-based liquid biopsy that could identify the early onset
of Alzheimer's disease or CTE in a living person may also unlock the
ability to monitor disease progression and set the stage for new
therapeutic advances, which could include Aethlon Medical therapeutic
devices," stated Jim Joyce, CEO of Aethlon Medical and Executive
Chairman at Exosome Sciences.
Therapeutic Application and Patent Application
The development of a therapeutic device that targets selective
elimination of circulating beta-amyloid and tau is supported by the
"peripheral sink" theory, which postulates that the reduction of these
particles from systemic circulation promotes deplaquing from the brain.
Thus, inhibiting the continued progression of neurodegenerative
processes. Aethlon and ESI further disclosed the subsequent filing of a
provisional patent entitled, "Brain Specific Exosome Based Diagnostics
and Extracorporeal Therapies."
About Aethlon Medical, Inc.
Aethlon Medical creates innovative medical devices to address
life-threatening diseases. The Aethlon ADAPT™ (Adaptive Dialysis-like
Affinity Platform Technology) establishes the basis for a new class of
therapeutics that target the rapid elimination of disease enabling
particles from the circulatory system of treated patients. The lead
Aethlon ADAPT™ product is the Hemopurifier®, a device that addresses a
broad-spectrum of viral pathogens as well as tumorsecreted exosomes that
suppress the immune system of cancer patients. Aethlon is also
operating under two government contracts with the Defense Advanced
Research Projects Agency (DARPA) related the development of a medical
device to reduce the incidence of sepsis. Exosome Sciences, Inc. is a
majority owned Aethlon subsidiary that is advancing exosome-based
strategies to diagnose and monitor cancer and infectious disease
progression. Additional information can be found at
www.AethlonMedical.com
About Exosome Sciences, Inc.
Exosome Sciences (ESI), a majority wholly owned subsidiary of
Aethlon Medical, Inc., develops exosome-based solutions to improve
identification and monitoring of acute and chronic conditions. Our
candidate products are focused toward diagnostic advancements in the
fields of oncology, infectious disease and brain injury. Exosomes
represent an optimal diagnostic target as diseased or injured cells
release these particles into body fluids such as urine, blood, saliva
and cerebrospinal fluid where they can be accessed for analysis. Our
exosome-based assays unlock the ability to identify proteomic and
genomic alterations underlying a wide-range of pathologies, thus
allowing for the introduction of novel non-invasive "liquid biopsies".
Additional information can be found at
www.ExosomeSciences.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, that
the ESI will not be able to commercialize its future products, that the
FDA will not approve the initiation of the Company's existing or future
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,
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:
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
Published at Investorideas.com newswire
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