Sex often fuels the adoption of cutting-edge technology, even in the
burgeoning field of nano-fabrication. Researchers at the University of
Washington have just published a paper in PLoS One describing
how they'll use "electrospinning" to create next-generation female
condoms made from specially customized nano-fibers.
According to a release about the study from University of Washington:
Electrospinning uses an electric field to catapult a charged fluid jet
through air to create very fine, nanometer-scale fibers. The fibers can
be manipulated to control the material's solubility, strength and even
geometry. Because of this versatility, fibers may be better at
delivering medicine than existing technologies such as gels, tablets, or
pills.
Basically,
the researchers' proposal is to spin ultra-thin female condoms woven out
of cloth-like fibers and medicine. Above, you can see a magnified image
of the resulting condom, complete with sperm who have tried to smash
their way through it and failed miserably.
The condoms
can be woven out of medicines that prevent HIV infections, providing
protection against disease while also stopping sperm in their tracks.
The electrospun condoms can be designed to dissolve within minutes, or
over a period of several days. Women can discreetly put them on before a
sexual encounter — either directly, or on a diaphragm or ring — and
protect against pregnancy, HIV, and potentially other sexually
transmitted diseases as well.
Write the researchers in their abstract:
Multipurpose prevention technologies (MPTs) that simultaneously prevent
sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and unintended pregnancy are a
global health priority. Combining chemical and physical barriers offers
the greatest potential to design effective MPTs, but integrating both
functional modalities into a single device has been challenging. Here we
show that drug-eluting fiber meshes designed for topical drug delivery
can function as a combination chemical and physical barrier MPT. Using
FDA-approved polymers, we fabricated nanofiber meshes with tunable fiber
size and controlled degradation kinetics that facilitate simultaneous
release of multiple agents against HIV-1, HSV-2, and sperm. We observed
that drug-loaded meshes inhibited HIV-1 infection in vitro and
physically obstructed sperm penetration. Furthermore, we report on a
previously unknown activity of glycerol monolaurate (GML) to potently
inhibit sperm motility and viability. The application of drug-eluting
nanofibers for HIV-1 prevention and sperm inhibition may serve as an
innovative platform technology for drug delivery to the lower female
reproductive tract.
Read the full scientific article at PLoS One .
source io9
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