ANTIBODIES gleaned from cows' milk that protect against HIV could potentially be developed into affordable creams to prevent infection, a Melbourne researcher says.

Dr Marit Kramski from Melbourne University found that when pregnant cows were injected with HIV proteins, they produced antibodies which could be collected through the colostrum - the first milk produced following the birth of a calf.

Dr Kramski and her colleagues discovered the antibodies bind to the HIV virus in the lab and stopped the virus from entering human cells.

The inexpensive method which can generate up to one kilogram of antibodies from a single cow could lead to an affordable prevention treatment for HIV, Dr Kramski said.

The next step would be to develop the antibodies into a cream or gel that could be inserted in the vagina between 12 to 24 hours before sexual intercourse, she said.

It may also be possible to produce a similar product designed for men who have sex with men but a different formulation would be required, Dr Kramski said.

The female cream could help protect women in countries including Africa where condom use was not as widespread as Western nations.

It could also prevent women who wish to become pregnant being infected by their partners, Dr Kramski said.

"That (the cream) would give women the power to protect themselves."

"If you want to become pregnant but don't want to get HIV that could offer a good solution."

Dr Kramski said the next step would be a clinical study to ensure the antibodies were safe for use in the vagina before developing the product further.

She said the cream could potentially be cheaper than drug formulations because the process of collecting the antibodies from cows' milk was inexpensive and yielded large volumes.

There are currently about 34 million people living with HIV worldwide, with many of those affected in poorer countries where access to affordable treatments is scarce.

Originally published as Cows' milk protects against HIV: study