Researchers identify compound that could prevent HIV transmission
Researchers at the University of Minnesota have identified a compound that, applied vaginally, can prevent transmission of the primate version of HIV, called SIV. While it’s not a cure – and the compound still must go through human clinical trials before it used to prevent HIV – the research is a huge step toward prevention of the devastating disease that impacts 33 million people around the globe.
Ashley Haase, M.D., head of the University of Minnesota Medical School Department of Microbiology and principal investigator of the study, and Pat Schlievert, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Microbiology and co-investigator, researched Glycerol Monolaurate (GML), a naturally occurring compound that the FDA recognizes as safe. It is widely used as an antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory agent in food and cosmetics.
