University of Wollongong’s latest Fulbright Future Scholarship (Postdoctoral) recipient is now in a position to expedite the development of a next-generation condom.
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The medical technology Dr Simon Cook is at the forefront of developing could prevent the spread of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and unplanned pregnancies in some of the world’s poorest countries.
As a winner of the prestigious scholarship, Dr Cook will be able to spend four months working with experts at Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction at Indiana University in the United States.
Dr Cook, who grew up in the Southern Highlands, is part of Project Geldom, a joint UOW and Swinburne University of Technology initiative.
The researchers believe a condom that people want to use could revolutionise the definition of safe sex, with huge impacts on public health programs aimed at curbing the current global rate of 1 million new STIs contracted every day.
The Geldom is based on a material called tough hydrogels.
These tissue-like materials act like rubber, the material used for condom production used for over a century but have significant advantages like enhanced feel, self-lubrication, no adverse odours or tastes, can be loaded with drugs and do not cause allergic reactions.
A user-driven design process that has been established to understand the core barriers to regular condom usage and user preferences, is central to this hydrogel condom development.
Working with industry leaders in the Kinsey Institute will accelerate the deployment of the condom worldwide.
- Dr Simon Cook
“This technology has the potential to completely revolutionise health service impact while also disrupting the current condom market, which is worth more than $8 billion with 27 billion condoms produced annually,” Dr Cook said.
“But of key importance is the user acceptance research. If people don’t want to use it then we won’t have addressed the fundamental issue.
“Working with industry leaders in the Kinsey Institute will accelerate the deployment of the condom worldwide.”
The UOW molecular biology graduate said it was satisfying that everyone understood, was interested and had their own opinion about the research.
“That is really rare for a research project,” Dr Cook said.
“I continually get a buzz from talking about the project then having people touch the material and always say something like, ‘wow that feels cool’.
“I get excited by the possibility and it makes the benefit and need for the work very tangible from the get go.”