Maternal, Newborn, and Adolescent Health

Joanna Long of the University of Florida in the U.S. will work to develop thermally and chemically stable pulmonary surfactant formulation for the treatment of respiratory distress syndrome. If successful, this new synthetic pulmonary surfactant can be easily transported as a dry power and reconstituted in remote clinics to help decrease infant mortality rates.

Arye Rosen of AMT, Inc., in the U.S., along with neonatologist Harel Rosen will develop and test a prototype, low-cost portable blanket phototherapy system to provide light therapy for the treatment of jaundiced infants at risk for acute bilirubin encephalophathy. This blanket will be powered by a battery charged via a photovoltaic panel, offering a low-cost therapy for newborns in resource-poor areas, including those where grid electricity is unavailable.

Jussi Saukkonen of Boston University School of Medicine and Alex Slocum of Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the U.S. will develop and test low-cost mechanical ventilators for infants in resource-poor settings. The use of simple parts and low-cost technology, along with small size and battery power, will allow for ease of use in remote locations.

Michael Chikindas of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey in the U.S. will evaluate the effectiveness of the natural antimicrobial protein subtilosin to not only treat vaginal infections but also act as a spermicidal agent. If successful, the protein could be used in a discrete formulation to help women maintain healthy vaginal flora and prevent pregnancy.

David Clapham of Boston Children's Hospital in the U.S. will develop and test a nanoparticle contraceptive that releases sperm tail inhibitors in response to vaginal pH changes or exposure to prostatic fluid. The nanoparticles could be incorporated into a vaginal gel to block sperm motility required for fertilization. This project's Phase I research culminated in the development of mesoporous silica nanoparticles that contain sperm inhibitors.

Giovanni Pauletti of the University of Cincinnati in the U.S. will develop and test a tampon-like, biodegradable foam device made from polymers that contain a safe spermicide and a microbicide. The device can be self-administered by women and quickly reacts to vaginal fluids to convert to a hydrogel that creates a physical and chemical barrier to sperm and HIV and other virions.

Jeffrey Jensen of Oregon Health & Science University in the U.S. will test the feasibility of using the varicose vein treatment polidocanol in a foam format to close fallopian tubes. The method could be administered by minimally-trained healthcare workers and could be a low-cost, nonsurgical permanent contraceptive method for women in developing countries who want control over their long-term family planning. This project's Phase I research showed that polidocanol foam can block the fallopian tubes of rhesus macaques without causing adverse non-target effects.

Renjie Chang of Lavax in the U.S. will develop and test a vaginal suppository that uses a strain of commensal bacteria which has the ability to immobilize sperm and capture viruses. If successful, the bacteria could be used as a reversible contraceptive that also affords protection against viruses such as HIV and herpes.

Paul Blumenthal of Stanford University in the U.S. is creating a cell phone application that collects information on an individual's menstrual cycle, processes the information with a calendar algorithm, and sends free text messages as a reminder to a woman of her menstrual status.

Samuel Wickline of Washington University in the U.S. will formulate a vaginal gel that contains nanoparticles which serve as decoys to attract both sperm and HIV. The nanoparticles will fuse with specific receptors in the sperm and virions, causing both to deliver their genetic material into the nanoparticles, which simultaneously delivers a peptide that incapacitates both targets.