Scientists Use Nanomedicine to Combat Herpes

A group of researchers from Johns Hopkins University has developed specially coated nanoparticles that can penatrate deep into the body's defenses and stay to combat harmful microbes.

Justin Hanes and team broke down acyclovir, a drug for herpes, into nanosize units and coated with polyethylene glycol (PEG) then applied to female mice using vaginal gel. The acyclovir particles penetrated the cervicovaginal mouse mucus and stayed there for 1 day. Less than half of the treated mice were infected by herpex simplex virus, while 84 percent of the untreated mice showed signs of infection. According to Hanes, their study is the first reported breakthough about nanomedical treatment of herpes in living animals. The team also plans to develop a similar nanoparticle for tenofovir, a drug for HIV.

Read the original article at http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=nanomedicine-penetrates-vaginal-mucus.