Presenting the Molecular Condom

In Africa, where the AIDS epidemic is at its worst, women are rarely in a position to demand safe sex. Now, researchers at the University of Utah have developed what they call a "molecular condom" designed to allow women to protect themselves from AIDS without the need to enforce condom use by their partners.

The "molecular condom," according to a Newswise story, is a vaginal gel that can be inserted before sex. The gel turns nearly solid when semen in the vaginal tract raise the pH level. The semisolid gel then releases anti-viral drugs, thus "trapping AIDS virus particles in a microscopic mesh so they can’t infect vaginal cells." In addition to stopping the transmission of AIDS, the gel has the potential to block other viruses and sperm — which means it could halt the spread of herpes and HPV while also preventing pregnancy.

The molecular condom has worked well in preliminary trials, but is not yet ready for prime time. In fact, the most optimistic estimates suggest that the gel won't be on the market for five to eight years.

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