The MTN brings together international investigators and community and industry partners whose work is focused on the development and rigorous evaluation of promising microbicides – products applied inside the vagina or rectum that are intended to prevent the sexual transmission of HIV – from the earliest phases of clinical study to large-scale trials that support potential licensure of these products for widespread use. From the outset, the MTN has worked to meet the needs of key populations at risk of HIV, including women in sub-Saharan Africa, adolescents, pregnant and breastfeeding women and men who have sex with men (MSM). Different formulations are being evaluated, including vaginal and rectal microbicide gels and intravaginal rings.

 MTN’s unique research portfolio integrates both biomedical and behavioral science in the design and implementation of studies that whether in the earliest phases of clinical investigation or a large-scale multi-center trial are meant to support potential licensure of products for different high-risk populations.

More than 25 clinical research sites are affiliated with the MTN, spanning nine countries across Africa, Asia and the Americas: Malawi, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, India, Thailand, Peru and the United States, including Puerto Rico. Protocol teams are created for each MTN study and include investigators from clinical trial sites and representation from different specialty areas and disciplines as well as community members.

Three flagship trials form the centerpiece of the MTN’s research agenda: the recently completed VOICE study (MTN-003); ASPIRE (MTN-020), which is ongoing; and MTN-017, expected to launch in 2013.