Biomedical engineers combat STDs

An over-the-counter vaginal cream to prevent the transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases may become a reality thanks to the researchers at the University. Led by David Katz, Nello L. Teer Jr. professor of biomedical engineering, the study recently received a boost with a $2.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health.

Katz concentrates on the molecular properties of topical vaginal medications like spermicides and yeast infections to lower their characteristically high failure rates.

"As much as 40 percent of topical medicines fail due to insufficient delivery," Katz said. "Much of this is an engineering problem because the formulation of current products may not allow for proper coverage of the entire tissue area."

Katz, who began his research on this subject in the late 1990s, bases his work on several questions: What properties should the products possess to enable them to coat all of the tissues? What are the important properties of the environment to which the topical medications are applied? And how do these properties vary with factors such as age and other behavioral and physiological factors?

The research project--now in its second phase of testing--is divided into two experimental components aimed to answer these questions. The engineering factor focuses on in-utero studies to examine how microbicides--compounds that prevent STDs-- spread and stick in the complex anatomical environment of the vagina.

The human research consists of in-vivo studies to analyze the spread of commercially available contraceptive gels in human subjects. The latter component will be used to predict how the microbicides will spread in tissues.

"We are systematically mapping the distribution of gels... and have found that there is not 100 percent coverage," said Marcus Henderson, an assistant research professor of biomedical engineering who helped develop the equipment used for the project. He added that researchers are now investigating which gel concentrations will provide the best coverage.

The combination of engineering and human testing models sets this project apart from most. "Applying engineering science as an approach to microbicide research has not been done before," said Derek Owen, an assistant research professor of biomedical engineering and a member of the in-utero research team.