Much-anticipated results from the first in-human clinical trials of griffithsin, a naturally occurring anti-HIV protein, were presented at the HIV Research for Prevention (HIV R4P) conference in Madrid this October. These results, and research to date, suggest that it may be possible to formulate an on-demand user-controlled technology to prevent HIV and other STIs with limited risk of cross resistance.
We asked Tom Zydowsky, director of biomedical research and pharmaceutical development in the HIV and AIDS program at the Population Council’s Center for Biomedical Research (CBR) a few questions about griffithsin and its potential as a non-antiretroviral microbicide.