Aethlon Medical has entered into an agreement with the Sarcoma Oncology Center in Santa Monica, CA, to study the effectiveness of the Aethlon Hemopurifier in removing immunosuppressive exosomes from the blood of advanced-stage cancer patients, including those with head and neck cancer.
Exosomes released by cancer have recently emerged as a novel therapeutic target in cancer care, as they have been implicated in cancer survival, growth, and metastasis, according to Aethlon. Researchers have also identified that cancer-released exosomes may assist tumors in evading the response of the immune system.
At present, there is no therapeutic drug candidate to inhibit the deleterious roles of cancer-released exosomes. The Aethlon Hemopurifier is a medical device with broad-spectrum capabilities against viral pathogens, including HIV and hepatitis C. The device has also demonstrated the ability to capture cancer-released exosomes from cell culture and human ascites fluids, according to Aethlon.
The initial study will quantitate and capture exosomes ex vivo from blood samples of patients with advanced cancers. The study will evaluate 25 patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer, prostate cancer, melanoma, head and neck cancer, and sarcoma. Successful study outcomes would provide a basis for advancing human studies of the Aethlon Hemopurifier as an adjunct therapy to improve patient responsiveness to established cancer therapies.
