Aethlon Medical, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEMD), a medical therapeutic company focused on developing products to treat cancer and life-threatening infectious diseases, today announced that it is actively monitoring developments related to the current Bundibugyo Ebola virus outbreak in Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda and remains prepared to engage with global healthcare and regulatory authorities regarding the potential investigational use of its Hemopurifier® technology.

According to recent reports from the World Health Organization ("WHO") and other public health agencies, the current outbreak has been identified as involving the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola virus, a strain for which we are not aware of any approved treatments beyond supportive care, as of the date of this release. Health authorities continue to express concern regarding cross-border transmission and the potential for broader regional spread. Public health assessments, including regarding potential cross-border transmission, are evolving and subject to change.

Aethlon's Hemopurifier is an investigational medical device designed to remove enveloped viruses and tumor-derived EVs from circulation. During the 2014 Ebola (Zaire strain) outbreak, the Hemopurifier was successfully administered to a critically ill Ugandan physician treated at Frankfurt University Hospital under emergency-use circumstances.

At the time Hemopurifier therapy was initiated, the physician was unconscious and suffering from multiple organ failure requiring mechanical ventilation, vasopressor support and continuous dialysis. Following a single 6.5-hour Hemopurifier treatment, the patient's viral load reportedly declined from approximately 400,000 Ebola virus copies per milliliter of blood to approximately 1,000 copies per milliliter of blood. The Ebola virus subsequently became undetectable five days following treatment. Testing performed after this treatment indicated that the Hemopurifier captured Ebola virus during therapy; quantitative estimates reported at the time, were approximately 242 million virions. The patient ultimately made recovered and returned home to Uganda.

That treatment data was presented at the American Society of Nephrology Annual Meeting on November 14, 2014 by Helmut Geiger, M.D., Chief of Nephrology at Goethe University, Frankfurt University Hospital.

In the United States, Hemopurifier therapy has previously been made available for Ebola patients through FDA expanded access emergency-use provisions applicable to life-threatening circumstances where alternative therapies may not be available. In January 2015, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved an Investigational Device Exemption ("IDE") supplement that established a regulatory pathway for the potential investigational use of Hemopurifier therapy in Ebola-infected individuals in the United States, subject to applicable institutional approvals and patient protection procedures.

Investigational use of medical technologies such as the Hemopurifier may proceed through physician-directed emergency and compassionate-use procedures subject to applicable hospital and regulatory oversight.

"We believe the current Ebola outbreak reinforces the ongoing need for broad-spectrum therapeutic approaches capable of addressing viral threats where approved drug therapies or vaccines may be limited," stated James B. Frakes, Chief Executive Officer of Aethlon Medical. "While the Hemopurifier remains investigational for Ebola treatment, the prior clinical experience on one patient in Germany demonstrated the potential for rapid viral reduction in a critically ill patient under emergency-use conditions."

The Company stated that it will continue to monitor the evolving Ebola situation and will respond to questions or requests from treating clinicians.