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Novel bio-filtration device produced positive results in Ebola patient
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Officials at Frankfurt University Hospital, Germany, have reported undetectable virus in an Ebola patient treated with a novel bio-filtration therapy, according to a press release.
The patient, a Ugandan physician and WHO health care worker, contracted Ebola in Sierra Leone and was treated with the experimental Hemopurifier device (Aethlon Medical). Designed to remove viruses and immunosuppressive proteins from the bloodstream, it has been successfully administered to HIV and HCV patients in India, but has yet to undergo clinical study in the United States.
“It is truly wonderful that the patient, who was reported to be suffering from multiple organ failure, is now recovering from Ebola infection,” James A. Joyce, founder and CEO of Aethlon Medical, said in the release. “In the coming days, we will disclose the venue of a public presentation that will report treatment data including the quantification of viral load reduction and viruses captured by our Hemopurifier during the treatment of this patient.”
Previous in vitro testing for other Ebola strains has been conducted by the US Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases and the CDC. If effective in the outbreak strain, the device could be deployed using the dialysis and CRRT infrastructure currently used in hospitals worldwide, according to the release.
Aethlon Medical said it is preparing US clinical studies of the Hemopurifier based on an FDA investigational device exemption. The early clinical trials would evaluate the device’s safety as a broad-spectrum treatment for viral conditions including Ebola, HIV and HCV.