Two Southern California teams are among the 11 winners of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's contest to create a create a condom that men would actually use, thereby decreasing the number of sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies.
Selected among the 812 contenders, Apex Medical Technologies of San Diego and the California Family Health Council of Los Angeles, are our local winners. Each will receive a $100,000 grant and could receive up to $1 million after they develop their ideas. As noted in a November 21, 2013 article from the New York Times, the condoms created by Apex Medical Technologies are currently made from beef tendon provided by a Vietnamese grocery store. The California Family Health Council's condoms are made of polyethylene plastic that has Saran Wrap-like qualities.
The following descriptions from the Gates Foundation's Grand Challenges in Global Health website provides the specifics.
Congratulations to our winning teams!
|
Ultra Sheer "Wrapping" Condom with Superior Strength |
|
Primary Investigator: |
|
Ron Frezieres, California Family Health Council, Los Angeles, CA, United States - US |
|
|
Topic: |
Develop the Next Generation of Condom |
|
Round: |
|
|
Phase: |
Phase I
|
|
Ron Frezieres of the California Family Health Council in the U.S. will develop a stronger and thinner male condom made of polyethylene to increase condom use. Polyethylene is a non-toxic and hypoallergenic material that wraps and clings to surfaces rather than squeezes, thereby enhancing sensation and enabling easier application. They will collaborate with the only polyethylene condom manufacturer, based in Columbia, to develop an improved product with an alternative lubricating system and two different applicator methods, and test them in an FDA-approved Phase I study to evaluate performance and safety.
|
|
Ultra-Sensitive Reconstituted Collagen Condom |
|
Primary Investigator: |
|
Mark McGlothlin, Apex Medical Technologies, Inc., San Diego, CA, United States - US |
|
|
Topic: |
Develop the Next Generation of Condom |
|
Round: |
|
|
Phase: |
Phase I
|
|
Mark McGlothlin of Apex Medical Technologies, Inc. in the U.S. will produce a male condom with enhanced strength and sensitivity using collagen fibrils from bovine tendons, which are widely available from meat processing. Collagen fibrils would provide a hydrated micro-rough skin-like surface texture that facilitates heat transfer to produce a more natural sensation. They will develop methods to best arrange the fibrils and more safely crosslink them. Barrier properties of the engineered condom will be quantified, enhanced if necessary, and sensitivity will be tested.
|
|
|
|
