Medical Technology Breaking News: Aethlon Medical (OTCQB:
AEMD) and Exosome Sciences Announce the Advancement of a Broad-Spectrum Cancer
Detection and Monitoring Platform
SAN DIEGO and PRINCETON, N.J. - September 8, 2014
(Investorideas.com newswire) Aethlon Medical, Inc. (OTCBB:AEMD), and its diagnostic
subsidiary, Exosome Sciences, Inc. (ESI), announced today that ESI researchers
have developed and initially validated a lectin-based diagnostic platform that
is able to isolate exosome-based biomarkers underlying a broad-spectrum of
oncology indications. Aethlon Medical develops targeted therapeutic devices to
address infectious disease, cancer and other life-threatening conditions. ESI
develops exosome-based solutions to diagnose and monitor cancer and
neurodegenerative disorders.
In the
validation studies, ESI researchers provided evidence that their diagnostic
platform could identify the presence of cancer in analyzed blood samples from
individuals suffering from glioblastoma, metastatic melanoma, breast cancer,
ovarian cancer, colorectal cancer and pancreatic cancer. Beyond the potential
implications in diagnosing cancer, ESI researchers believe the high-sensitivity
of the platform will allow for effective monitoring of cancer progression and
response to corresponding therapies. In oncology indications, the sensitivity
of the ESI platform also represents an advancement over the ELLSA assay that
was originally developed by Aethlon Medical to quantify changes in circulating
exosome load resulting from the administration of Aethlon Hemopurifier®
therapy. The Hemopurifier® is a first-in-class therapeutic device that targets
the rapid elimination of circulating viruses and tumor-secreted exosomes, which
in addition to being an oncology biomarker, suppress the immune system and
contribute to the spread of metastasis in cancer patients.
Based on
previously reported discoveries related to progressive neurodegenerative
disorders, Aethlon further disclosed that the ESI team has initiated follow-on
studies to advance a candidate blood test to identify and monitor the
progression of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). At present, CTE is only
diagnosed through postmortem autopsy. CTE has been most commonly found at
autopsy in former National Football League (NFL) players and has also been demonstrated
to be prevalent in soldiers exposed to blast injury.
In
previous disclosures, ESI researchers reported that they had successfully
isolated brain-specific biomarkers that could have implications in the
diagnosis, monitoring and treatment of Alzheimer's Disease (AD), CTE and
Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM). The studies provided evidence that the ESI
platform could also detect exosomes as a basis for a "liquid biopsy"
to diagnose neurologic conditions. While exosomes from the central nervous
system had previously been identified in the cerebrospinal fluid, the ESI team
identified exosomes carrying brain-specific markers tau, beta-amyloid,
glycoprotein A2B5 and S100B protein that had been transported across the
blood-brain barrier and into the circulatory system.
"I
am immensely proud of the ESI research team as their considerable breadth of
collected data reinforces the possibility that a single platform could detect
and monitor a wide-range of disease conditions," stated Aethlon Medical
CEO Jim Joyce, who also serves as Executive Chairman at ESI. Mr. Joyce founded
ESI on behalf of Aethlon Medical shareholders as a means to explore if the
lectin-affinity techniques underlying Hemopurifier® therapy could provide a
basis for proprietary diagnostic applications.
In the
oncology platform validation studies, 198 single point serum specimens (taken
at the time of cancer diagnosis) were analyzed from patients with Glioblastoma,
Metastatic Melanoma, Breast cancer, Ovarian cancer, Colorectal cancer and
Pancreatic cancer, plus 20 age-matched, female and male non-cancer controls. In
the studies, the ESI platform was consistently able to differentiate
individuals afflicted with cancer as compared to non-cancer controls. The
tested serum specimens were obtained from commercial and collaborative academic
biorepositories. A breakdown of the analyzed cancer specimens include:
·
Glioblastoma
– 5 late stage
·
Metastatic
Melanoma – 20 late stage
·
Ovarian
cancer - 31 early stage and 114 late stage
·
Colorectal
cancer – 7 early stage and 7 late stage
·
Pancreatic
cancer – 2 early stage and 12 late stage
Based on
the data collected, ESI plans to establish collaborations and clinical
partnerships to further validate its platform and identify specific oncology
and neurodegenerative indications where the platform offers to improve upon
standard of care methods to diagnose and monitor disease progression.
Additional
study details will be presented at the Exosomes & Single Cell Analysis
Summit to be held on September 18th and 19th, 2014.
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.
About Aethlon Medical
Aethlon
Medical creates medical devices that target unmet therapeutic needs in
infectious disease and cancer. The company's lead product is the Aethlon
Hemopurifier®, a first-in-class device that selectively targets the rapid
elimination of circulating viruses and tumor-secreted exosomes that promote
cancer progression. Exosome Sciences, Inc. is a majority owned subsidiary that
is advancing exosome-based products to diagnose and monitor cancer, infectious
disease and neurological disorders. Additional information can be found online
at www.AethlonMedical.com or 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
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
viral pathogens, 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.
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