Aethlon Medical Announces New Patent Issuance; Method for Removal of HIV and Other Viruses From Blood.

Business Editors/Health/Medical Writers

LA JOLLA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 12, 2003

Aethlon Medical Inc. (OTCBB:AEMD) announced today that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has approved and issued patent #6528057 entitled: "Method for removal of HIV and other viruses from blood."

The patent, which is licensed exclusively to Aethlon Medical, addresses a method to remove viruses and protein toxins in patients suffering from HIV and other chronic viral illnesses such as Hepatitis-C.

James A. Joyce, Chairman and CEO of Aethlon Medical stated: "The issuance of this new patent reinforces our strategy to complement and broaden the proprietary scope of our therapies through collaborations with highly respected laboratories and researchers who share our vision for treating HIV-AIDS, Hepatitis-C, and other viral conditions."

The abstract of the patent reads:

"A method for reducing viral load through the removal of viruses or fragments or components thereof from the blood by extracorporeally circulating blood through hollow fibers which have in the porous exterior surface, immobilized affinity molecules having specificity for viral components. Passage of the fluid through the hollow fibers causes the viral particles to bind to the affinity molecules thereby reducing the viral load in the effluent."

About Aethlon Medical

Aethlon Medical develops therapeutic devices that treat HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis-C (HCV), and other infectious diseases. In pre-clinical testing, Aethlon has published that AEMD-45, its lead product for treating HIV is able to remove 55 percent of HIV from infected human blood in three hours and in excess of 85 percent in 12 hours. Aethlon has also documented that AEMD-45 removes up to 90 percent of toxic viral proteins that deplete immune cells during the equivalent of a one-hour treatment. The AEMD-45 therapeutic device, like all product offerings from Aethlon Medical, is developed from an expansive platform technology known as the Hemopurifier(TM), which employs a proprietary method to increase the capability of FDA cleared artificial kidneys (dialysis cartridges) to remove targeted intoxicants from the blood. In the case of AEMD-45, dialysis cartridges are modified to mimic the immune system's response to clear infectious virus from circulation before healthy cells are infected. AEMD-45 is designed to fill the urgent need for new treatments that are effective in reducing viral load, decrease the likelihood of treatment resistance, and treat without the toxic side-effects associated with AIDS drugs. For more information, visit the company's Web site at www.AethlonMedical.com.

Certain of the statements herein may be forward-looking and involve risks and uncertainties. Such forward-looking statements involve assumptions, known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Aethlon Medical, Inc to be materially different from any future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such potential risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, the Company's ability to raise capital when needed, the Company's ability to complete the development of its planned products, the ability of the Company to obtain FDA and other regulatory approvals permitting the sale of its products, the Company's ability to manufacture its products and provide its services, the impact of government regulations, patent protection on the Company's proprietary technology, product liability exposure, uncertainty of market acceptance, competition, technological change, and other risk factors. In such instances, actual results could differ materially as a result of a variety of factors, including the risks associated with the effect of changing economic conditions and other risk factors detailed in the Company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings.