The National
Institutes of Health's National Institute of Allergy
and Infectious Diseases announced last week that it
will partner with the International Partnership for
Microbicides to help speed the development of
microbicide products to block HIV and other sexually
transmitted diseases. NIAID and IPM will share
information and expertise through the agreement. Plans
call for regular interaction between leaders at the
organizations, information-sharing conferences, and joint
meetings with companies and research institutes that
are developing or testing experimental microbicides.