By AP/KWMU
St. Louis, MO – Saint Louis University says a federal grant
will underwrite its clinical testing of a new vaccine aimed at preventing genital herpes in women.
There is no cure for genital herpes, and the school says its final-stage research trial could lead to the first-ever government-approved vaccine to prevent herpes. It would not cure the disease.
The university says the $36.8 million grant
from the National Institutes of Health is the largest clinical trial in the school's 184-year history.
Almost one in four people over the age of 12 is infected with herpes. And many who show no symptoms unknowingly spread the
disease.
The study will involve nearly 8,000 women at 17 US sites, including St. Louis.