Scientists develop contraceptive antibodies that paralyze sperm

Scientists at Boston University School of Medicine have developed antibodies that they say aggregate and immobilize sperm.

Developed in collaboration with San Diego-based ZabBio, human contraceptive antibodies (HCAs) were tested in vitro on sperm from healthy and normal volunteers at different concentrations and under different conditions.

Within 15 seconds, the sperm were immobilized and tightly aggregated or stuck together.

Some men and women naturally produce these “anti-sperm antibodies” in their genital fluids, causing infertility.

However, BU professor of medicine and co-author of the Lancet New Treatise, Deborah Anderson, said HCA can be administered transvaginally in soluble film “for a female-controlled on-demand contraceptive method.” Mentionned.

The researchers said the antibody did not cause vaginitis in tissue culture lab tests and is currently being tested in Phase I clinical trials in humans.

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According to the Guttmacher Institute, about 65% of American women between the ages of 15 and 49 use some form of contraception.

However, while oral contraceptives require good adhesion and can cause side effects, barrier methods have their own drawbacks. Planned Parenthood reports that IUDs are painful to insert and can exacerbate dysmenorrhea, but diaphragms are less effective at preventing pregnancy.

“HCA can be used by women who are not using currently available contraceptive methods and can have a significant impact on global health,” Anderson said.

It can also be combined with other antibodies, such as those that fight HIV and the herpes simplex virus, to create gels that combine contraception and protection against sexually transmitted diseases.

The researchers confirmed that HCA was added to the soluble film applied to the vagina for a woman-controlled on-demand contraceptive method. Photo: HCA-treated semen that has not reacted with human vaginal or tonsil tissue

In the samples taken to test for sperm count and motility, the aggregated or stuck sperm sank to the bottom of the tube.

Almost all forms of contraception except condoms focus on female partners, but that may change as more than 100 men are currently participating in the Nestron trial. It could be the first hormonal contraceptive on the market for men.

Nestron uses a progestin, a synthetic hormone that is also used in female contraceptives, to turn off the natural production of testosterone, which prevents the production of sperm in the testes.

The addition of synthetic testosterone ensures the maintenance of male libido and overall physical health. As a result, his semen does not contain sperm, but the researchers say he has few other recognizable side effects.

Nestron is prescribed as a gel rather than a pill. Must be applied daily.

However, like the female pills, previous studies have shown that nestone is reversible. A few months after stopping the drug, voluntary sperm production returned to normal.

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