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The Gates Foundation Supports Challenge to Build a Better Condom
Male condoms are one of the oldest medical devices in existence. But 400 years with little in the way of innovation isn't enough for Grand Challenges in Global Health. The organization, with support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, has launched a search for the “Next Generation Condom."
March 27, 2013
3 Min Read
.svg?width=1280&auto=webp&quality=95&format=jpg&disable=upscale "The Gates Foundation Supports Challenge to Build a Better Condom")
Put simply, the challenge – part of the Grand Challenges Explorations (GCE) - is for companies or individuals to create a condom that “significantly preserves or enhances pleasure, in order to improve uptake and regular use,” essentially making a condom that males will prefer over wearing no condom at all. A daunting challenge, but one the Gates Foundation believes could have a huge impact on global health.
In a released statement the Gates Foundation says:
“It may seem obvious, but the success and impact of any public health tool hinges on that tool being used consistently and correctly by those who need it. Vaccines sitting on shelves don’t prevent disease.New tuberculosis drug regimens won’t help if patients stop taking them halfway through the necessary days. Likewise, the potential value of condoms is limited by inconsistent use.”
A video demonstration of Origami Condoms' male contraceptive. |
GCE is looking to fund work that applies safe new materials that may preserve or enhance sensation, develops and tests new condom shapes or designs that may provide an improved user experience, or applies knowledge from other fields (e.g. neurobiology, vascular biology) to new strategies for improving condom desirability. The Gates Foundation hopes that the GCE call will bring in people from a variety of disciplines from material science to neuroscience and reproductive biology to contribute new and unconventional approaches to the challenge.
Several parties are already pursing the goal. A company called Origami Condoms develops what it is calling the first non-rolled, injection- molded, engineered, silicone condom that is designed to be safer and more pleasurable. The company has recently closed enrollment in U.S. clinical trials and is expected to launch a Kickstarter campaign later this year.
A research team at Washington University has also been doing work using electrospinning to create dissolvable nanofiber materials for contraception.
Interested parties have until May 7th to apply. One winner will be awarded a $100,000 grant to pursue their proposal. Not bad to pursue a project to bring couples closer together.
-Chris Wiltz is the Associate Editor of MD+DI
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