For sexually active, certainly condoms can never get this better.
A US team of researchers is currently working on a latex-free condom that doesn't just have the ability to kill off HIV virus but it also heightens sexual pleasure.
The condom, which is now dubbed by many as the "super condom," is developed by the Health Science Center of Texas A&M University based on a grant it has obtained from Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation after its Grand Challenge in Global Health challenge. Mahua Choudhury, assistant professor of pharmaceutical sciences, leads the research.
The condom is made of hydrogel, a polymer hydrogel that is made up of around 90% water, making it highly absorbent. It also contains antioxidants, which can boost the neurotransmitters that can then increase pleasure during sex.
However, the same substance may also prevent the spread of HIV, which now affects at least 1 million people in the United States with 12% remaining unaware and undiagnosed. One of the recent controversial confirmations is from actor Charlie Sheen, who has developed the disease around four years ago. He's currently facing a lawsuit from his former fiancée Brett Rossi, who claimed he didn't initially disclose the illness to her.
According to the research, the condom has the ability to kill off the virus in case it breaks. Condoms, a rubber sheath that aids in preventing reproduction, has been shown to be effective in preventing pregnancy and spread of sexually transmitted diseases and infection like HIV and AIDS. However, it can also break, which may then increases the risk of spreading the illness.
The hydrogel design can make it act like a self-healing hydrogen that closes cuts while the antioxidants block the virus from being able to replicate.
The condom is still in the prototype phase, but Choudhury has already mentioned many companies are now expressing interest to partner with them. They expect the "super condom" to be available sometime next year for a mere price of a dollar.