Family Planning

David Clapham of Boston Children's Hospital in the U.S. will develop and test a nanoparticle contraceptive that releases sperm tail inhibitors in response to vaginal pH changes or exposure to prostatic fluid. The nanoparticles could be incorporated into a vaginal gel to block sperm motility required for fertilization. This project's Phase I research culminated in the development of mesoporous silica nanoparticles that contain sperm inhibitors.

Giovanni Pauletti of the University of Cincinnati in the U.S. will develop and test a tampon-like, biodegradable foam device made from polymers that contain a safe spermicide and a microbicide. The device can be self-administered by women and quickly reacts to vaginal fluids to convert to a hydrogel that creates a physical and chemical barrier to sperm and HIV and other virions.

Jeffrey Jensen of Oregon Health & Science University in the U.S. will test the feasibility of using the varicose vein treatment polidocanol in a foam format to close fallopian tubes. The method could be administered by minimally-trained healthcare workers and could be a low-cost, nonsurgical permanent contraceptive method for women in developing countries who want control over their long-term family planning. This project's Phase I research showed that polidocanol foam can block the fallopian tubes of rhesus macaques without causing adverse non-target effects.

Renjie Chang of Lavax in the U.S. will develop and test a vaginal suppository that uses a strain of commensal bacteria which has the ability to immobilize sperm and capture viruses. If successful, the bacteria could be used as a reversible contraceptive that also affords protection against viruses such as HIV and herpes.

Paul Blumenthal of Stanford University in the U.S. is creating a cell phone application that collects information on an individual's menstrual cycle, processes the information with a calendar algorithm, and sends free text messages as a reminder to a woman of her menstrual status.

Samuel Wickline of Washington University in the U.S. will formulate a vaginal gel that contains nanoparticles which serve as decoys to attract both sperm and HIV. The nanoparticles will fuse with specific receptors in the sperm and virions, causing both to deliver their genetic material into the nanoparticles, which simultaneously delivers a peptide that incapacitates both targets.

John Herr of the University of Virginia in the U.S. will research the egg-specific membrane enzyme metalloprotease as a target for a non-hormonal female contraceptive. After determining the nature of the enzyme's catalytic pocket, a family of peptidomimetic compounds will be tested for their ability to bind to the enzyme and block its key role in egg fertilization.

Haim Breitbart of Bar-Ilan University in Israel will design and test antisense molecules that will inactivate specific genes within sperm that are essential to the fertilization process. If successful, these antisense molecules can be used to develop a reversible oral male contraceptive.