Aethlon claims 50% blood serum clearance of Zika virus in 5 hours

Aethlon Medical (OTC:AEMD) said today that data from in vitro Zika virus studies of its Hemopurifier blood filter indicated a 50% clearance of the virus from human blood serum in 5 hours.

The San Diego, Calif.-based company said the Zika studies, which were conducted with small-scale versions of the Hemopurifier, also reported a 95% clearance rate of the virus from cell culture fluid in 5.5 hours.

“As a result of our research team’s validation of Zika capture, we have further reinforced the potential of our Hemopurifier to be a 1st line of defense against the growing list of infectious viral pathogens that are not addressed with traditional drug or vaccine therapies,” CEO Jim Joyces aid in a press release.

The Zika studies were conducted on a viral strain that has recently spread from South America to Peurto Rico, the company said.

Aethlon Medical also said it inked an agreement with the Devense Advanced Research Projects Agency to study the in vitro capture of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus. The agreement is based on the modification of a contract milestone that is part of DARPA’s Dialysis-Like therapeutics program, the company said.

Last September, Aethlon said it extended its contract with DARPA to develop a device to reduce the incidence of sepsis, a commonly fatal infection encountered by combat-injured soldiers.

The contract with DARPA was originally inked in September 2011 and has been extended to its 5th year with Aethlon, the company said. The reward is a fixed-price contract that requires the achievement of incremental milestones to receive the full award during the year.

So far, Aethlon has achieved 23 milestones with the contract and brought in approximately $4.9 million in revenues from DARPA, the company said.

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