Peer-reviewed study identifies altered extracellular vesicles in Long COVID and provides additional scientific rationale for evaluating the Hemopurifier® as a potential treatment
SAN DIEGO, June 26, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Aethlon Medical, Inc. (Nasdaq: AEMD), a medical therapeutic company focused on developing products to treat cancer and life-threatening infectious diseases, today announced publication of new peer-reviewed research in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences demonstrating that patients with Long COVID exhibit significantly increased levels of mannosylated extracellular vesicles (EVs) that can be captured using the same Galanthus nivalis agglutinin (GNA) affinity resin incorporated into the Company's Hemopurifier®.
The study, conducted in collaboration with investigators from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), provides what we believe is new evidence supporting extracellular vesicles as a potential therapeutic target in Long COVID and helps establish a translational framework for future studies evaluating whether the Hemopurifier can remove disease-associated EVs and their molecular cargo.
"The publication of this study contributes to the scientific understanding of the biological mechanisms underlying Long COVID while strengthening the rationale for evaluating the Hemopurifier in this significant area of unmet medical need," said Jim Frakes, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Aethlon Medical. "While the Company's current resources and primary focus remain dedicated to advancing our Australian oncology clinical trial, these findings provide additional translational evidence supporting future preclinical and clinical studies designed to determine whether removal of these circulating extracellular vesicles may benefit patients with Long COVID. More broadly, we believe these findings reinforce the potential of the Hemopurifier as a platform technology with potential applications across multiple disease areas. We believe there exists a 'pipeline within a single device.'"
Key Findings
Among the study's principal findings:
Patients with Long COVID had approximately two-fold higher levels of mannose-positive extracellular vesicles than individuals who recovered fully following COVID-19 infection.
Small extracellular vesicles carrying disease-associated glycosylation patterns were successfully captured using GNA affinity resin, the active binding component of the Hemopurifier.
GNA affinity resin treatment significantly reduced seven circulating microRNAs associated with immune regulation and inflammatory signaling.
Computational pathway analysis suggested modulation of several biologically relevant signaling pathways implicated in Long COVID, including JAK-STAT, VEGF, PI3K, and Estrogen signaling.
The findings help establish a mechanistic link between disease-associated extracellular vesicles and the Hemopurifier's lectin-based capture technology.