
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, May 21, 1994                   TAG: 9405230152
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Short

GEL BLOCK OF AIDS TO BE TESTED

A seaweed extract commonly used in ice cream and candy is to be tested as a vaginal gel that could block the AIDS virus and allow women to protect themselves from infected sexual partners.

Dr. Christopher J. Elias of the Population Council said Friday that his organization will apply to the Food and Drug Administration this summer for authority to test a substance called carrageenan as an AIDS-blocking vaginal gel.

Elias said carrageenan has been shown in laboratory tests to prevent human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV, from infecting cells of the kind that line the vagina. He said the substance has been tested in rabbits and is ready for human trials.

Carrageenan is widely used in cosmetics, soups, ice creams and candies and is generally regarded to be safe, Elias said. It is extracted from seaweed as a white powder and will turn into a gel when added to water, he said.

Elias said carrageenan appears to be so safe that it probably could be sold over the counter as a vaginal gel, just as other products are sold.

Nevertheless, carrageenan will have to undergo extensive testing in human subjects before its effectiveness against HIV is proven.|

by CNB