The invention of a ‘super condom’ by a team of researchers headed by an Indian American researcher of HIV and AIDS

The breakthrough invention of a ‘super condom’ by a team of researchers headed by an Indian American researcher has opened an innovative way to prevent the spread of HIV and AIDS by killing the virus through antioxidants contained in the condom.

The new condom was developed by Professor Mahua Choudhury and her research team at Texas A&M University. She claims that it would help in fighting the spread of the deadly virus.The super condom is made of an elastic polymer called hydrogel, which has antioxidants collected from plants that have the power to kill the HIV virus.

Choudhury, an assistant professor at the Texas A&M Health Science Center’s Irma Lerma Rangel College of Pharmacy, said in a statement, “We are not only making a novel material for condoms to prevent the HIV infection, but we are also aiming to eradicate this infection, if possible.”

She added: “Supercondom could help fight against HIV infection and may as well prevent unwanted pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases and If we succeed, it will revolutionize the HIV prevention initiative.”

Choudhury who completed Molecular Biology, Biophysics and Genetics degree in India got her Ph.D. in the US. Since then she has been researching diabetics and obesity epidemic.

Choudhury was one among the 54 people who were awarded the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Grant for Global Health Challenge.

This year’s challenge for the winners was to develop a latex free condom to help battle the epidemic of HIV, which has by now affected 35 million people in the world.

“If you can make it really affordable, and really appealing, it could be a life-saving thing,” Choudhury said.

The material used in the condom to kill the virus is already in use as a water-based hydrogel for medical purposes such as contact lenses.

In addition to protecting from STDs and pregnancy, the super condom’s antioxidant quercetin is also capable of preventing the replication if HIV and in case if it breaks the quercetin would be released for additional protection.

The researchers also claim that the new design of the condom will escalate the sexual pleasure and people will use it more often.

The condom has already been created and is now awaiting patent approval so that it can go on sales in the market after testing.

Choudhury is hopeful that she can make the condom available to everyone including those in rural areas, where these types of resources are limited.

Since the HIV outbreak in 1981, the deadly virus has killed 39 million people worldwide.


https://www.americanbazaaronline.com/2015/12/16/indian-american-researcher-mahua-choudhury-invents-super-condom-to-fight-hiv/