COLUMBUS, OH - July 24, 2013 (Investorideas.com newswire) At
Battelle, supporting America's military personnel is woven into the
fabric of its business. In that pursuit, a team consisting of Battelle,
NxStage Medical (NASDAQ: NXTM), Inc. and Aethlon Medical (
OTCQB: AEMD)
has won a contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency,
or DARPA, to develop an innovative, new medical device that may save the
lives of soldiers -- and civilians as well -- by treating sepsis.
The problem to be confronted is more severe than is commonly known
-- as many as 10 percent of combat wounds result in life threatening
infections that ultimately lead to septicemia and/or sepsis. "This
device could not only save many of our soldiers' lives, it could be
profoundly important in saving thousands of civilian lives each year in
the United States alone," said Martin Toomajian, President of Battelle
Energy, Health and Environment.
DARPA created the Dialysis-Like Therapeutics (DLT) program to
develop a portable device that creates a holistic treatment for sepsis.
The device is intended to remove blood from the body, separate harmful
"dirty" agents from the blood and return "cleaned" blood to the body in a
manner similar to dialysis treatment for kidney failure. DARPA has made
significant investments in its DLT effort to date to multiple
contractors for the development of key blood purification and diagnostic
technologies that could contribute to the ultimate device.
This contract -- which is funded in phases and could be as large as
$22.83 million and last as long as four years -- is for leading one of
DARPA's DLT System Integration projects. The project calls for Battelle
and key subcontractors, NxStage and Aethlon, to design, develop, test
and validate an advanced, portable medical device that exhibits the
technical innovation for which DARPA projects are known, and to
coordinate integration of key technologies developed during the overall
DLT program. This funding does not include human clinical trials that
may be required prior to military use and/or United States Food and Drug
Administration clearance for sepsis-treatment technologies.
Beyond the military need for sepsis therapies, the DLT device may
play an important role in saving the lives of civilian patients, as
infection leading to sepsis is a significant cause of mortality. When
sepsis is complicated by shock, approximately half of patients do not
survive for 30 days, even if effective antibiotics are used.
Because of the interdisciplinary nature of the program, it will
draw experts from many scientific and engineering segments at Battelle
and its development team members. "This program will utilize a highly
diverse set of resources, ranging from medical device design to
biological testing to meeting the exacting needs of the military-medical
environment," said Steve Kelly, President of Battelle National
Security. "Battelle is exceptionally qualified, together with the
collaboration of NxStage and Aethlon, to bring the necessary diversity
of expertise to this complex program."
Battelle will lead a project team focusing on military user needs,
systems engineering, integration of DLT technologies and pre-clinical
testing. Working closely with Battelle, NxStage will design, develop and
ultimately manufacture and distribute the medical device upon
regulatory approval. Aethlon is developing and plans to distribute key
blood separation component technologies for the DLT system.
"NxStage is pleased to be chosen as part of this team based upon
our recognized expertise in developing and commercializing innovative,
portable technology for the purification of blood, which includes use of
the System One in the military environment," said Jeffrey H. Burbank,
Chief Executive Officer of NxStage Medical, Inc. "We are confident that
our leadership in device design will lead to a good outcome for this
important DARPA project, ultimately benefitting military personnel and
civilians alike."
"We are honored to be part of the DLT System Integration team and
appreciate the continued opportunity to innovate an effective
therapeutic solution to address sepsis," said Aethlon Medical Chairman
and CEO Jim Joyce. Aethlon is the previous recipient of a $6.8 million
DARPA DLT contract.
About Battelle
Every day, the people of Battelle apply science and technology to
solving what matters most. At major technology centers and national
laboratories around the world, Battelle conducts research and
development, designs and manufactures products, and delivers critical
services for government and commercial customers. Headquartered in
Columbus, Ohio since its founding in 1929, Battelle serves the national
security, health and life sciences, and energy and environmental
industries. For more information, visit
www.battelle.org.
About NxStage Medical, Inc.
NxStage is a medical device company, headquartered in Lawrence, MA,
USA, which develops, manufactures, and markets innovative systems for
the treatment of end-stage renal disease (ESRD), and acute kidney
failure. The System One™ home hemodialysis device developed by NxStage
is the only FDA approved portable hemodialysis machine cleared for home
use. For more information on NxStage, or NxStage® products, visit
http://www.nxstage.com.
About Aethlon Medical
Aethlon Medical creates 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 devices that provide rapid, yet selective removal of disease
promoting particles from the entire circulatory system. At present, the
Aethlon ADAPT™ product pipeline includes the Aethlon Hemopurifier® to
address infectious disease and cancer, and a medical device being
developed under a 5-year contract with Defense Advanced Research
Projects Agency (DARPA) to reduce the incidence of sepsis in
combat-injured soldiers. For more information, please visit
www.aethlonmedical.com.
For more information contact
Katy Delaney
(614) 424-7208
T.R. Massey
(614) 424-5544
Published at Investorideas.com newswire
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