Scientists at Magee-Womens Research Institute will lead one arm of a six-center effort to develop new ways to prevent and treat HIV infection.

Sharon Hillier, a senior investigator at the institute and a professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, has been named the principal investigator of the Microbicide Trials Network, which is sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

The NIAID yesterday announced the centers and investigators who will be heading the six projects, which include vaccine development and AIDS trials. The health institute has sponsored the networks for about 15 years, but this is the first time that microbicide research has been the focus of one.

It reflects a recognition that new strategies to prevent HIV transmission are needed, Dr. Hillier said.

"There was a perception that a vaccine was just around the corner," she noted. "We appreciate now that making a vaccine is a really challenging struggle, and that we need innovative approaches that are going to allow women to control their susceptibility to infection."

Microbicides are compounds that can be applied inside the vagina to protect against sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including HIV. They can be formulated as gels, creams, films, or suppositories.

Around the world, HIV infection is spreading to heterosexual women, including those who have been sexually active only with their husbands. The so-called ABCs of HIV prevention -- abstinence, being faithful and using condoms -- are not always practical options for married women, Dr. Hillier said.

In the context of marriage, abstinence is unlikely, she said. "Even if a woman is faithful, she can't guarantee the conduct of her partner. And condoms are just not possible for many women to negotiate. They're really under a man's control."

Dr. Hillier's team at the institute has focused for more than a decade on developing microbicides, including vaginal gels, to block sexual transmission of HIV.

"This large grant will allow us to really go global," she said. "The products can be tested in the highest-risk countries internationally, as well as in studies domestically."

She expects to study five to 10 agents during the next seven years. Next month, three agents will be in clinical trials, and a fourth could be added within a year.

"What we are trying to set up is the infrastructure to allow rapid and efficient evaluation of these new drugs," Dr. Hillier said.

In addition to gel preparations, the researchers plan to study vaginal rings that would slowly release the agent over a month's time. Researchers will also watch for the development of drug resistance.

Some of the studies will be conducted in places that have high rates of HIV infection, such as Africa and India. The results will still be broadly applicable, Dr. Hillier said.

"There are lots of women in Pittsburgh who have been infected through heterosexual intercourse," she said. "The lessons that we learn when we partner with these clinical trials with high-risk women around the world are actually going to be very good for Pittsburgh women, too."