Genomed treatment helps bald eagles with West Nile virus encephalitis

GenoMed, Inc. a Next Generation Disease Management company that uses its expertise in genomics to improve clinical outcomes in as many species as possible, announced today that two non-profit groups which care for wild birds with West Nile virus encephalitis, including American bald eagles, will be using the Company's patent-pending treatment this season.

Dr. Erica Miller, Staff Veterinarian at Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research, Inc. in Newark, Delaware (www.tristatebird.org) will be using GenoMed's approach to treat native wild birds infected with West Nile virus, including eagles. Unlike the situation in horses, there is no vaccine readily available for all species of birds. Birds vary in their susceptibility to West Nile virus, with crows and owls being the most sensitive.

Marge Gibson, Executive Director of Raptor Education Group, Inc. in Antigo, Wisconsin (www.raptoreducationgroup.org) and Nick Derene, a graduate student at University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point, will use GenoMed's approach to treat American bald eagles and other large raptors.

GenoMed's protocol uses blood-pressure drugs that are safe and familiar to most physicians and veterinarians, and already carried in every drug store. The protocol, developed by Dr. David Moskowitz, the Company’s Chairman, CEO and Chief Medical Officer, is based on the theory that brain inflammation and death result from an over-response by the host's immune system to the West Nile virus. GenoMed’s protocol gently suppresses the immune system at an early step in its activation. The results of Dr. Moskowitz’s first eight patients will be published soon in a peer-reviewed medical journal.

Since the pathology is similar, the same treatment should work for birds and horses, as well as people with an intact immune system—i.e., the general population. So far, 65 people have downloaded GenoMed's West Nile virus trial document from the company's website at www.genomedics.com.

GenoMed's goal is to eliminate the threat of West Nile virus from the general population on the 50th anniversary of the famous 1954 polio field trials which ended the threat of polio in the U.S. For more information, click on the "West Nile trial" button at http://www.genomedics.com.

Dr. Moskowitz is a Harvard- and Oxford-educated physician, who trained for seven years in Internal Medicine, Biochemistry, and Nephrology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis before spending 11 years on the faculty of St. Louis University School of Medicine. He is a noted pioneer in the field of medical genomics, and has been recognized for his groundbreaking treatment of diseases associated with the angiotensin I-converting enzyme, such as chronic renal failure due to hypertension or type II diabetes. Dr. Moskowitz’s research on viruses, including West Nile virus, avian influenza ("bird flu"), and SARS, are regarded as innovative approaches for otherwise incurable diseases.