Biodesign Institute at ASU to Lead Development of HIV/AIDS Prevention Drug

 

Kimberly Ovitt, Director of Communication & Institutional Advancement
(480)727-8688 | kimberly.ovitt@asu.edu

Researchers at the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University have been tapped to lead development of plant-derived topical medications that would prevent HIV/AIDS and other sexually-transmitted diseases. A $7.4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health will fund a collaborative research center headed by Charles Arntzen, who co-directs the Biodesign Institute’s Center for Infectious Diseases and Vaccinology. Internationally known for his work on plant-derived vaccines, Arntzen, who is also a Regent’s professor in ASU’s School of Life Sciences, will be the principal investigator for the project.  

The new center draws on the expertise of ASU researchers with diverse backgrounds. It also establishes a public-private partnership with Mapp Biopharmaceutical of San Diego and one of the National Vaccine Testing Centers at the University of Maryland.

The research will focus on developing microbicides, medications that would kill or block sexually-transmitted viruses at the point of contact and could be formulated as gels, creams or time-released applications such as a vaginal sponge or ring.

“This grant is an example of the success we expect the Biodesign Institute to attract,” said George Poste, Biodesign Institute Director. “By engaging scientists from diverse disciplines in new ways and involving the private sector from the outset, we are uniquely positioned to make progress quickly,” said Poste.

Arntzen said that the size of the NIH grant demonstrates confidence in the innovative approach the Center will take as well as in the potential of microbicides to fight the spread of AIDS. He believes plant-derived solutions would have benefits over other methods of drug development.

“Many of the countries with significant HIV infection rates do not have sophisticated pharmaceutical production capabilities,” said Arntzen. “We believe plant-based options will be easier and cheaper to produce.”  Arntzen noted that, even if they are not produced locally, plant-based microbicides are likely to be more stable than chemical compounds, standing up to heat and storage.

At the recent International AIDS Conference in Bangkok, global health organizations urged greater investment in microbicide research given the suitability for use in the developing countries where HIV rates are highest.  Women in these countries often have little control over their circumstances and do not wield the power to insist on condom use or practice abstinence. Microbicides offer these women a better option to protect themselves, and ease of application would encourage use.

In addition to Arntzen, researchers participating in the grant include Richard Mahoney, Hugh Mason, Tsafrir Mor, Steve Slater and Linda Lopez.  Research activities will be housed in the Biodesign Institute, School of Life Sciences and ASU East Polytechnic University.

Biographical Sketch
Charles J. Arntzen, PhD., Co-Director
Center for Infectious Diseases and Vaccinology
The Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University

Dr. Arntzen was elected to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences in 1983 and to the National Academy of Sciences in India the following year. He is a fellow of The American Association for the Advancement of Science, received the Award for Superior Service from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for international project leadership in India, and received the degree of Doctor of Science honoris causa from Purdue University in 1997 and from the University of Minnesota in 2003. At ASU, he was appointed to the Florence Ely Nelson Presidential Endowed Chair in Plant Biology in 2000 and as Regents Professor in 2004. He served as the Founding Director of the Arizona Biodesign Institute until May 2003. [About Dr. Arntzen]