It has been decades since the last major breakthrough of a
popular, easy-to-use and effective form of birth control. The
pill has been available since 1960 and the IUD since 1965.
Condoms have been around for centuries, although today’s latex
versions are improvements over those fashioned from sheep guts.
But some innovative research is underway in Kim Woodrow’s
bioengineering lab at the University of Washington. She and her
students have produced electrically spun cloth with nanometer-
sized fibers that can quickly dissolve and release drugs to
prevent unplanned pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease.
The promising multipurpose prevention research is detailed in a
new study published by the Public Library of Science's open-
access journal PLoS One by Woodrow and two of her graduate
students, Cameron Ball and Emily Krogstad. Their study showed
how meshes of these new fibers can be fashioned in many ways, to
create a physical barrier like a diaphragm or cervical cap, or a
fast-dissolving delivery device like