Grant: Operating Grant

Transmission of HIV-1, the causative agent of AIDS, is rapidly spreading despite an immense worldwide research effort to counter it. As such, the virus is decimating the populations of children and young adults across Africa and large portions of Asia. In Africa distribution of condoms and ensuring compliance of their use is not a generally viable option. The cost of pharmaceuticals and issues related to the distribution of any drug or vaccine is prohibitive. Coupling in the long-standing difficulties in generating an efficacious vaccine, it is obvious that we do not have a solution for this growing pandemic. Clearly there is a need for disease prevention strategies that are safe, inexpensive to produce and distribute and importantly: are acceptable in the social contexts present in Third World countries. By providing a simple-to-use preventative drug in the control of the female population, we hope to address many of the cultural situations that presently work against preventative strategies. This proposal concerns the development and design of a microbicide; a topically applied blocker of infection that would be used predominantly by women. In this proposal, we plan to take advantage of a harmless water bacterium that efficiently displays molecules on its surface. By displaying molecules that mimic the binding interactions of HIV, we will effectively interfere and block infection. The engineered bacterium can be produced and chemically stabilized at very low cost. An assortment of these bacteria displaying different analogues can easily be prepared that would likely have greater efficacy and broader target range. A successful outcome of this research would lead to formulation of this reagent into a gel that could be distributed by minimally trained healthcare workers. Although low cost makes it especially appropriate for Third World use, a successful outcome would also result in an useful product for Canada and other first world countries.