IMPRESSIVE

I came across this article the other day and have been meaning to write about it. It tells of an incredible new breakthrough in medical technology that could revolutionize the way viruses are treated:

It is a prospect that terrifies bioweapons experts: Terrorists release smallpox into an American city, spreading sickness and panic. Because the disease is untreatable and vaccines no longer exist, first responders and other emergency personnel would be particularly vulnerable.
A new invention, however, may help to avert the worst of this worst-case scenario. Aethlon Medical, a small San Diego biotech company, is developing a portable device that removes viruses from blood. Known as the Hemopurifier, it filters not only smallpox but numerous other viruses, including Marburg and Ebola.

The Hemopurifier resembles a shrunken dialysis cartridge, the rolling-pin-size device that purifies the blood of patients whose kidneys have failed. Both use a filter to remove toxins from blood. But unlike traditional dialysis, the Hemo-purifier also includes plant-derived antibodies, such as cyanovirin, that bind to a variety of viruses and eliminates them from the bloodstream. The plant solution can be modified to weed out even genetically engineered germs.

Aethlon has built two versions of its device. One, a foot long and an inch wide, is designed for use in hospitals; the other, the size of a large pen, is meant for use in the field. Both types attach to a pump. But the portable version could work without one, using the patient’s heart as the engine to force blood through the filter....

Aethlon recently shipped several Hemopurifiers to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta for cell culture tests on human blood infected with Ebola. Meanwhile the company has already completed its own tests in animals. Though promising, the Hemopurifier still has a few big hurdles to clear, the biggest of which is successful testing in humans. Aethlon is wrapping up safety trials in India and hopes to begin clinical tests in the U.S. by the end of this year.

The implications of this go way beyond a countermeasure for bioterrorism--which is great in and of itself obviously--because it also could significantly impact the treatment of almost any viral disease--including HIV, Avian Flu and others.

Impressive. Most impressive.