SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 24, 2009--
Aethlon Medical, Inc. (OTCBB:AEMD) disclosed today that its Chairman and
CEO, James A. Joyce has issued the following letter to shareholders.
To our Shareholders:
The purpose of this letter is to provide clarity on the status of a
grant submission to The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and our first
response to a U.S. government contract opportunity. We responded to
Round 2 of the Grand Challenges Explorations Grant offered by The Bill &
Melinda Gates Foundation in November. Since our submission, we have been
advised that grant recipients will be notified in March, with the
disclosure of awards announced by the foundation in April. Since
inception of our organization, this grant represents the first request
for a device able to act as an artificial adjunct to the immune system,
which precisely describes the mechanism of our Hemopurifier®. In our
response, we proposed to demonstrate that our device, acting as an
artificial adjunct to the immune system, can reduce viral load and
improve immune function in HIV infected patients, including those fully
resistant to drug therapy. We remain hopeful our submission will lead to
an initial collaboration with The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
On June 4th of last year, we submitted a contract proposal in
response to a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) entitled, “Application of
Platform Technologies for the Development of Therapeutic Agents for
Biodefense.” The solicitation (DMID-NIAID-NIHAI20080022BARDA)
represented a partnership between the National Institute of Allergy and
Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and the recently established Biomedical
Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) to award contracts
that fund the development of innovative approaches to treat bioterror
and emerging pandemic threats. In recent weeks, we have been advised
that we are among the remaining candidates being considered for a
contract award from BARDA. NIAID has indicated that BARDA will notify us
on the status of our proposal in the coming 90 days. Please note that we
are being considered for an award from BARDA, not NIAID.
We are honored to be considered for a contract award and proud that our
contract response included supporting subcontractor commitments from
leading government and non-government health organizations: The United
States Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases
(USAMRIID), Battelle Biomedical Research Center (BBRC), The Renal
Research Institute (RRI), Cato Research Institute, and The University of
California Davis School of veterinary medicine. Contract recipients will
be awarded up to five years of funding directed toward activities
including research, clinical programs, and the establishment of
large-scale manufacturing protocols. A significant emphasis of the
contract solicitation is to aid in the development of broad-spectrum
therapies able to demonstrate effectiveness against multiple bioterror
pathogens and toxins.
I believe our Hemopurifier® is the most advanced broad-spectrum
treatment strategy to protect military and civilian populations from
viruses considered bioterror and pandemic threats. In reality, the
Hemopurifier® may represent the only therapeutic hope for protecting
against the breadth of drug and vaccine resistant pathogens that could
emerge naturally or purposely be weaponized as agents of bioterrorism.
While biased, my observations are driven by our science and the insight
garnered from meaningful biodefense industry experience. This experience
includes: providing congressional testimony on bioterrorism; serving on
biodefense panels at federal conferences and symposiums; participating
in legislative meetings on Capitol Hill; initiating the effort that
redefined treatment countermeasure to include medical devices in
biodefense legislation; and being an early proponent for broad-spectrum
countermeasures, which has since evolved to become a focal point of
government biodefense initiatives. A paper that reviews the position of
our Hemopurifier® as a bioterror and pandemic threat countermeasure can
be accessed online at: www.aethlonmedical.com/pdfs/BroadSpectrumTreament120308.pdf.
I am cautiously optimistic of our chances to win a contract award, but
recognize the need to reign in expectations based on our non-traditional
mechanism of action and the reality that our resources have not afforded
the lobbying presence that might influence government contract awards
for larger organizations. Regardless of outcome, there will remain a
significant global demand for treatment solutions against bioterror and
pandemic threats. Additionally, we are not solely reliant on our
endeavors in these areas as recently obtained human treatment data
indicates our Hemopurifier® may help to inhibit the progression of
Hepatitis-C virus (HCV), which represents one of the world's most
prevalent and difficult to treat chronic infectious disease conditions.
Recognizing the focus of this letter is pending grant and contract
opportunities, I am pleased to share that the stimulus package signed
into law by President Obama provided a bonus of $21.5 billion for
science and research spending. The amount was higher than what was
proposed by either the House ($13.2 billion) or the Senate ($17.8
billion). Of this amount, the NIH alone will receive $8.5 billion for
research funding. The president called the measure “the biggest increase
in basic research funding in the long history of American’s noble
endeavor to better understand our world.” As a result, we are analyzing
and plan to respond to several grant opportunities that have surfaced in
the fields of infectious disease, cancer, and diagnostics.
On behalf of our dedicated team at Aethlon Medical, I thank you for your
continued support.
Very truly yours,
James A. Joyce
Chairman, CEO
