Credit: Reuters

Governments, universities, research institutes and pharmaceutical companies have spent billions upon billions to find a cure to HIV/AIDS. Even a vaccine for HIV seems to be unrealistic as of this time which could be worst for AIDS victims. Will this new gel Unipron help stop HIV infection in women?

Understanding HIV Leads to Solution

Everyone who carries a scientific mind has been mystified on what can cure HIV and AIDS which was identified back in 1984. Even with billions of money spent researching for a solution, the cure and vaccine seems very remote up to this day.

But according to a reproductive health specialist, there may be a hope to lead science on the right direction about the HIV vaccine or cure.

"Part of the problem is that science has been focusing more on understanding the HIV virus itself, rather than just dealing with what it does to the body," said by Dr. Peter Gichuhi Mwethera, reproductive health specialist and lead researcher in the Institute of Primate Research, quoted by Nation.co.ke.

Unipron and the Baboons

A microbicide drug called Unipron which takes a gel form is designed to kill HIV virus once it is introduced inside a woman's genital system. Unipron initial trials were done with baboons because they have the best approximate comparative with human physiology. Initial trials performed yield good results.

ARVs or antiretroviral drugs are used to combat HIV once it has infected the body and no known way to destroy it once it reaches the bloodstream or any methods to entirely remove it from the system under risk-free procedure.

Unipron in Africa is unique for it is the only product getting professional approval for clinical trials. The product must be tested on actual human beings after on animals and after successful clinical trials can a drug be licensed for market selling.

According to the National Centre for Biotechnology Information in the United States National Library of Medicine, the abstract of Unipron involves identifying any toxicity on the vaginal epithelium, liver and kidney upon administration. Ten healthy female olive baboons of reproductive age were used. Five of them were each treated with 15g of Unipron intravaginally twice a week for 20 weeks and venous blood collected before and after each treatment; the other five baboons were not given treatment. The conclusion of drug administration of Unipron into baboon vagina did not cause any detectable toxicity.

Institute of Primate Research overseer and director-general of the National Museums of Kenya and pathologist, Dr. Farah Idle described the drug trials as "very promising." Gynaecologist, Dr. Alfred Murage also expressed similar sentiments with the clinical trials who is also Unipron's co collaborator at Aga Khan Hospital.