HIV Microbicides from Transgenic Tobacco Plants

When you think of tobacco, what's the first thing that comes to mind? You won't think of health benefits, of course. Tobacco use has been associated with numerous diseases, including certain forms of cancer. But the plant could soon redeem itself in the eyes of health experts. Two teams of scientists have recently used tobacco to make large amount of proteins that could prevent the transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), bringing the prospect of commercial, protein-based microbicides a step closer to reality.

Despite more than two decades of intense research efforts, scientists are yet to come up with an effective vaccine against HIV. With the absence of an effective HIV vaccine in the horizon, scientists are turning their attention to other prevention methods, particularly the use of topical microbicides.

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