Aethlon Medical to Pursue U.S. Government Biodefense Contract.

SAN DIEGO -- Aethlon Medical, Inc. (OTCBB:AEMD) announced today that it will submit a contract response to a BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT (BAA) solicitation entitled "Application of Platform Technologies for the Development of Therapeutic Agents for Biodefense". This solicitation (DMID-NIAID-NIHAI20080022BARDA) represents 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 and evaluation of innovative approaches to treat NIAID category A, B and C bioterror threats. 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. The submission deadline is June 4, 2008. 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.

"Based on pre-clinical data and human treatment experience, I believe our Hemopurifier[R] is the most advanced broad-spectrum treatment for viral pathogens identified as bioterror threats," stated James A. Joyce, chairman and CEO of Aethlon Medical. To reinforce the broad spectrum capabilities of the Hemopurifier[R], Aethlon's contract response will include in vitro effectiveness data against Dengue hemorrhagic fever, Ebola hemorrhagic fever, Lassa hemorrhagic fever, H5N1 avian influenza (Bird Flu), the reconstructed 1918 influenza virus, West Nile virus, Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), Hepatitis-C virus (HCV), and vaccinia and monkeypox, which both represent models associated with human smallpox infection.

The BAA solicitation also emphasizes that candidate treatment countermeasures will complete a phase I human safety study within a five-year contract period. To comply with this stipulation, Aethlon's contract response will include human safety data from clinical programs conducted at the Apollo Hospital and the Fortis Hospital, both in Delhi, India. Additionally, Aethlon will provide the investigational device exemption (IDE) already submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that requests permission to initiate human safety studies of the Hemopurifier[R] as a broad-spectrum treatment countermeasure against select bioterror and pandemic threats. As human efficacy studies against bioterror threats are not permissible for obvious humanitarian reasons, the demonstration of safety remains the sole regulatory challenge in humans. Aethlon plans to request permission to initiate the IDE-related human study soon after its contract response to the BAA solicitation.

"Now that broad-spectrum therapies have evolved to become a focal point of U.S. biodefense programs, I am optimistic that the BAA contract solicitation will be the first of several opportunities to collaborate with our government to advance the commercialization of our Hemopurifier[R] as a treatment against some of the world's deadliest pathogens," stated Joyce. "Additionally, successful navigation of these opportunities may reduce our future dependence on financing from the financial markets," concluded Joyce.

Virtually all of the pathogens considered to be material bioterror threats are untreatable with traditional drug and vaccine therapies. Effective treatments are either non-existent, of limited usefulness, or vulnerable to both naturally emerging and intentionally engineered pathogens. Innovative therapies offering broad-spectrum activity against different classes of microbes could potentially be effective against both traditional and non-traditional threats. Broad-spectrum therapies also provide the possibility that a limited number of treatment countermeasures could replace the need for the staggering number of pathogen-specific drugs that would be required for emergency use in bioterror and pandemic threat programs. Additionally, broad-spectrum strategies that are able to overcome drug resistance could extend the clinical utility of existing therapies. For these reasons, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently mandated that therapies able to demonstrate broad-spectrum effectiveness against multiple pathogens are to be the focal point of government programs that fund the development and commercialization of countermeasures against bioterror and pandemic threats. Aethlon Medical considers the Hemopurifier[R] to be the leading broad-spectrum candidate as evidenced by its breadth of pre-clinical data and human treatment experience.

About Aethlon Medical

Aethlon Medical is the developer of the Hemopurifier[R], a first-in-class medical device designed to treat infectious disease. The Hemopurifier[R] provides real-time therapeutic filtration of infectious viruses and immunosuppressive particles, and is positioned to address the treatment of drug and vaccine resistant viruses. Additionally, the device holds promise in cancer care, as research studies have verified the Hemopurifier[R] is able to capture immunosuppressive particles secreted by tumors. The Hemopurifier[R] is designed to act both as a stand-alone therapeutic, and as an adjunct treatment to enhance clinical benefit of established therapies. Pre-clinical studies conducted by researchers representing leading government and non-government health organizations both in the United States and abroad have documented the effectiveness of the Hemopurifier[R] in capturing from circulation the viruses that constitute pandemic threats, including H5N1 Avian Influenza (bird flu), and Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF) from circulation. The company is conducting studies to support the use of the Hemopurifier[R] as a broad-spectrum treatment countermeasure against bioterror threats, including Smallpox, and Ebola, Marburg, and Lassa hemorrhagic fever. Regulatory and commercialization initiatives in the United States are presently focused on bioterror threats, while international initiatives are directed toward naturally evolving pandemic threats, and chronic infectious disease conditions including the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Hepatitis-C (HCV). Aethlon demonstrated the safety of the Hemopurifier[R] in a 24-treatment human study at the Apollo Hospital in Delhi, India, and is currently conducting further human studies at the Fortis Hospital, also located in Delhi. The company has submitted an investigational device exemption (IDE) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to advance the Hemopurifier([R])as a broad-spectrum treatment countermeasure against category "A" bioterror threats. Additional information regarding Aethlon Medical and its Hemopurifier([R]) technology is available online 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 that 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. Additionally, there is no assurance that the Company will be the recipient of funding awards, grants, or contracts from any government agency 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.