Aethlon Medical Announces Publication Demonstrating Novel Long COVID Biomarker and Potential Therapeutic Target for the Hemopurifier®
Peer-reviewed study identifies altered extracellular vesicles in Long COVID and provides additional scientific rationale for evaluating the Hemopurifier® as a potential treatment
SAN DIEGO, June 26, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Aethlon Medical, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEMD), a medical therapeutic company focused on developing products to treat cancer and life-threatening infectious diseases, today announced publication of new peer-reviewed research in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences demonstrating that patients with Long COVID exhibit significantly increased levels of mannosylated extracellular vesicles (EVs) that can be captured using the same Galanthus nivalis agglutinin (GNA) affinity resin incorporated into the Company's Hemopurifier®.
The study, conducted in collaboration with investigators from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), provides what we believe is new evidence supporting extracellular vesicles as a potential therapeutic target in Long COVID and helps establish a translational framework for future studies evaluating whether the Hemopurifier can remove disease-associated EVs and their molecular cargo.
"The publication of this study contributes to the scientific understanding of the biological mechanisms underlying Long COVID while strengthening the rationale for evaluating the Hemopurifier in this significant area of unmet medical need," said Jim Frakes, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Aethlon Medical. "While the Company's current resources and primary focus remain dedicated to advancing our Australian oncology clinical trial, these findings provide additional translational evidence supporting future preclinical and clinical studies designed to determine whether removal of these circulating extracellular vesicles may benefit patients with Long COVID. More broadly, we believe these findings reinforce the potential of the Hemopurifier as a platform technology with potential applications across multiple disease areas. We believe there exists a 'pipeline within a single device.'"
Key Findings
Among the study's principal findings:
- Patients with Long COVID had approximately two-fold higher levels of mannose-positive extracellular vesicles than individuals who recovered fully following COVID-19 infection.
- Small extracellular vesicles carrying disease-associated glycosylation patterns were successfully captured using GNA affinity resin, the active binding component of the Hemopurifier.
- GNA affinity resin treatment significantly reduced seven circulating microRNAs associated with immune regulation and inflammatory signaling.
- Computational pathway analysis suggested modulation of several biologically relevant signaling pathways implicated in Long COVID, including JAK-STAT, VEGF, PI3K, and Estrogen signaling.
- The findings help establish a mechanistic link between disease-associated extracellular vesicles and the Hemopurifier's lectin-based capture technology.
The research analyzed plasma samples from participants enrolled in UCSF's Long-term Impact of Infection with Novel Coronavirus (LIINC) study.
The full peer-reviewed article, titled "Increased Mannosylation of Extracellular Vesicles in Long COVID Plasma as a Binding Target for Galanthus nivalis Agglutinin (GNA) Affinity Resin," appears in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences at https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/27/13/5723
About Aethlon and the Hemopurifier®
Aethlon Medical is a medical therapeutic company focused on developing the Hemopurifier, a clinical-stage immunotherapeutic device that is designed to combat cancer and life-threatening viral infections, and for use in organ transplantation. In human studies, the Hemopurifier has demonstrated the removal of life-threatening viruses, and in pre-clinical studies, the Hemopurifier has demonstrated the removal of harmful EVs from biological fluids, utilizing its proprietary lectin-based technology. This action has potential applications in cancer, where EVs may promote immune suppression and metastasis, and in life-threatening infectious diseases. The Hemopurifier is a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) designated Breakthrough Device indicated for the treatment of individuals with advanced or metastatic cancer who are either unresponsive to or intolerant of standard of care therapy, and with cancer types in which EVs have been shown to participate in the development or severity of the disease. The Hemopurifier also holds an FDA Breakthrough Device designation and an open Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) application related to the treatment of life-threatening viruses that are not addressed with approved therapies.
Additional information can be found at www.AethlonMedical.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that involve risks and uncertainties. Statements containing words such as "may," "believe," "anticipate," "expect," "intend," "plan," "project," "will," "projections," "estimate," "potentially," or similar expressions constitute forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are subject to significant risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially from the results anticipated in the forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based upon Aethlon's current expectations and involve assumptions that may never materialize or may prove to be incorrect. Factors that may contribute to such differences include, without limitation, the Company's ability to determine whether the Hemopurifier has utility in additional disease indications, including Long COVID; the Company's ability to raise additional capital and to successfully complete development of the Hemopurifier; the Company's ability to successfully demonstrate the utility of the Hemopurifier in cancer and infectious diseases and in the transplant setting; the ability of the Hemopurifier to continue to show removal of platelet -derived EVs at a timepoint equivalent to a 4-hour HP treatment; the manuscript described in this release being under review and may be rejected for publication, require substantial revision, or be interpreted differently by the scientific community; the Company's ability to achieve and realize the anticipated benefits from potential milestones; the Company's ability to submit applications to and obtain approval from the additional Ethics Committees in Australia, including on the timing expected by the Company; the Company's ability to continue its oncology clinical trial in Australia, including on the timing expected by the Company; the Company's ability to manage and successfully complete its clinical trials, if initiated; the Company's ability to successfully manufacture the Hemopurifier in sufficient quantities for its clinical trials, and other potential risks. The foregoing list of risks and uncertainties is illustrative, but is not exhaustive. Additional factors that could cause results to differ materially from those anticipated in forward-looking statements can be found under the caption "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended March 31, 2026, and in the Company's other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. All forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date on which they were made. Except as may be required by law, the Company does not intend, nor does it undertake any duty, to update this information to reflect future events or circumstances. The preclinical findings described herein are preliminary in nature and may not be replicated in subsequent studies or clinical trials.
Company Contact:
Jim Frakes
Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer
Aethlon Medical, Inc.
Jfrakes@aethlonmedical.com
Investor Contact:
Susan Noonan
S.A. Noonan Communications, LLC
susan@sanoonan.com
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SOURCE Aethlon Medical, Inc.