Trust award backs new anti-HIV microbicide trial
5 February 2010
Microbicides are gels or creams that can be applied to the genital area before sex to prevent viral infection. It is hoped that their development will empower women to protect themselves from HIV. Some 95 per cent of the millions of new HIV infections each year occur in low-income countries, and over half of these are women and young girls, many of whom have no control over whether a condom is used during intercourse.
Results of recent microbicide trials have proved disappointing, yet with an estimated 7000 new HIV infections each day, there is an urgent need to develop new and effective ways of preventing HIV spread.
5P12-RANTES is a promising compound developed by researchers at the University of Geneva's Faculty of Medicine. Laboratory tests have shown that it has powerful anti-HIV properties and is also exceptionally efficient at preventing the emergence of drug resistance.
Mintaka have developed a way to produce 5P12-RANTES using yeast - commonly used in the brewing industry - which is expected to slash manufacturing costs and make the product cheap enough for distribution in low-income countries. The product is extremely resistant to heat, which will enable it to be distributed and used in the tropics without refrigeration.
The new funding will help Mintaka to conduct a safety trial of 5P12-RANTES, the first step towards full clinical trials.
"Despite the generosity of Wellcome and our other donors, we still face a substantial funding challenge," said Professor Robin Offord, Executive Director of Mintaka. "But this award will transform our situation, permitting us at last to test this molecule on humans, we hope before the end of next year."
Image: HIV particles budding from a lymphocyte. Credit: R Dourmashkin, Wellcome Images
