Male Contraceptive Initiative (MCI) provides funding & advocacy support for the research & development of new male birth control methods.
Male Contraceptive Initiative Overview
What are the male birth control research activities MCI is supporting?
The science of male birth control can be a little intimidating if you do not have a background in science. To counter this, we created this section to highlight some of the projects we are supporting in an effort make the work we are supporting more accessible to the general public.
A single injection that ensures a man cannot cause a pregnancy for years and is completely reversible.
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Our grantee Contraline has invented a proprietary hydrogel called ADAM™ that is implanted into the vas deferens through a minimally invasive, outpatient procedure.
The hydrogel works by blocking sperm from traveling through the vas deferens. Similar to intrauterine devices (IUDs) for women, Contraline’s contraceptive is designed to last for years and be reversible. MCI’s support will be used by Contraline to prepare for filing with the FDA and initiating first-in-human trials. |
A reversible male birth control that impacts the head of the sperm, preventing it from fertilizing an egg.
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Our grantee Dr. Wei Yan and his team of researchers have developed a new compound derived from a Chinese herb called the Thunder God vine (Tripterygium Wilfordii Hook F).
The compound works by causing the head of sperm to be malformed such that they are not able to connect with and fertilize a female egg. This effect only occurs while the compound is consumed, and normal function is fully restored after discontinuing use. MCI’s support allowed Dr. Yan and his team to exploring the effects of the compound and publish their results. |
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Our grantee Dr. Mario Buffone has been working in the field of sperm physiology for two decades. His lab seeks to understand the complex process of mammalian sperm capacitation, the change sperm undergo in the female reproductive tract that enables them to penetrate and fertilize an egg.
Dr. Buffone is working to screen and identify drugs that are able to prevent the capacitation and therefore render sperm incapable of fertilizing an egg. MCI is supporting the Buffone lab’s studies with the intent of moving towards in vivo preclinical studies. |
A biodegradable implant injected just below the skin’s surface that can deliver a male contraceptive over a sustained period of time.
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Our grantee Dr. Rahima Benhabbour designs and fabricates delivery platforms for HIV prevention, cancer treatment, and contraception.
Dr. Benhabbour launched her first start-up AnelleO, Inc. in 2016, focusing on developing 3D-printed intravaginal rings for the treatment of infertility. MCI’s support will help facilitate studies that develop and implement an injectable device that can carry drug and translate into human studies. |
A daily, or even on-demand, method of male birth control that prevent sperm from being able to swim when taken.
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Our grantee Dr. Gunda Georg’s group has published over 200 scientific articles on the design, synthesis, and evaluation of biologically active agents. In addition to male contraception, her lab investigates areas of cancer and female contraception.
Dr. Georg's lab has focused on investigating the testis-specific serine kinase (TSSK) family. These proteins are expressed after sperm have been developed, and are likely involved in multiple steps that could make them excellent contraceptive targets. MCI’s support will help Dr. Georg’s team investigate the sperm-specific isoform of Na,K-ATPase, which is crucial for sperm motility (e.g., sperm’s ability to swim). |
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Our grantee Dr. Mike O’Rand is the President and Chief Scientific Officer of Eppin Pharma, named after the protein EPPIN which is a critical component of sperm development.
Dr. O’Rand is developing a compound called EP055, a small organic compound that that targets EPPIN on the surface of sperm and prevents sperm from swimming. MCI’s support will help support Dr. O’Rand Investigational New Drug (IND)-enabling milestones that are required for Eppin Pharma to begin the process of entering first-in-man studies for EP055. |
A reversible male birth control method that causes sperm to become sterile.
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Our grantee Dr. Stephen L’Hernault and his lab have worked on spermatogenesis (i.e., sperm creation) and fertilization for over 30 years.
Dr. L’Hernault is working on developing compounds that can block the function of the IZUMO1 protein, which is required to fertilize an egg. MCI’s support will help Dr. L’Hernault’s team to identify small compounds that reversibly block the function of the IZUMO1 protein. |
A cohort of excited young researchers motivated by curiosity, ambition, and the social good associated with male birth control.
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Our Fellowship program features a mix of graduate and postdoctoral trainees, all working towards creating non-hormonal, reversible male contraceptive methods.
Our Fellows work on a diverse portfolio of projects that help move the male birth control forward. Our support allows our distinguished Fellows to focus on the research, publish data, and build the background they need to sustain a long career as an investigator. |
What are MCI's advocacy efforts to support male birth control?
It will take more than just great science to get new male birth control methods to market. We created this section to highlight some of the advocacy and outreach efforts we conduct in order to illustrate the demand for, and potential impact of, male birth control.
Understanding people’s birth control interests in order to develop a menu of male contraceptives that meet the needs of men and women from all walks of life.
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Our grantee Planned Parenthood North Central States (PPNCS) provides health care to nearly 115,000 people and health education to more than 99,000 people across a five-state region (Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota) in the United States.
With MCI’s support, PPNCS will engage in critical market research activities by using mixed methods surveys to engage critical stakeholders on their reproductive health needs and desires in hopes that this will help inform research and product development activities. |
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Our Consumer Research Study was the largest survey in the United States in the past decade exclusive to sexually active men ages 18-44 and focused on developing a better understanding of their attitudes, needs and motivations regarding the future of male birth control.
Developing a keen understanding of the family planning interests of communities domestically and internationally is a critical component of our market research activities. Our support of market research activities helps our grantees better understand the needs of those they’re developing contraceptives for, while framing the demand for male birth control methods in the general public. |
Supporting men and women preventing pregnancy as a unit.
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Our Shared Risk publication advocates for creating a new ethical framework for assessing risks and benefits for new forms of male birth control.
Currently, the risks associated with pregnancy focus solely on the physical. As women are the only ones capable of physically bringing a baby to term, current thinking prevents a fair assessment of the risks men face when it comes to pregnancy. Our work is a necessary step towards reframing the concept of risk such that it creates a mandate for providing more and better male birth control methods. |
Facilitating a commercial pathway for male contraception driven by collaboration, transparency, and the public good.
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Our Ideation Events bring together diverse, multi-disciplinary groups of subject matter experts in order to identify opportunities and challenges for the male birth control industry, while driving collaboration and innovation.
Our initial ideation events have greatly aided in developing a shared understanding of how best to move the male birth control field forward, and helped us to create a network of collaborators to champion “Team Science” as a development mandate. Our support allows participants to engage in innovative problem-solving activities as they build professional relationships to help accelerate their work. |
Developing a community of practice that brings together expertise from across the spectrum to get male birth control to market faster.
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Our Lemonade Stand Webinar Series explore various aspects of the work necessary to develop the next generation of non-hormonal, reversible male contraception.
Launched in response to the demand amongst the research community for more opportunities to engage and collaborate, our monthly webinars convene subject matter experts and the general public alike. Our support helps facilitate expanding people’s understanding of the male birth control field, demystify the science behind male contraception, and allow people to engage with each other more intimately. |
Producing an educational program featuring subject matter experts and everyday people investigating the past, present, and future of male birth control.
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Our audio series “Intended” is the only podcast solely dedicated to exploring the fascinating world of male birth control.
The series features interviews with a holistic set of stakeholders representing all facets of male birth control research and development, as well as the people seeking additional male methods of contraception in an effort to make the science of male contraceptives more accessible while also illustrating the interest in and demand for male birth control. |
Vision & Mission
Our mission is to empower men, and couples, to fully contribute to family planning goals by providing the necessary resources for reproductive autonomy. We believe that contraception is an integral part of empowering people to decide whether and when to have children, and that men suffer from a serious lack of viable options for participating in achieving family planning goals.
Consider this: men currently only have two options for contraception, condoms and vasectomy.
This lack of contraceptive options for men negatively impacts everyone. Addressing this unmet need (and demand!) is a necessary step towards providing couples true reproductive autonomy. We envision a world in which couples can choose what is right for them irrespective of gender. Men deserve the resources needed to manage their reproductive health, and women deserve to be empowered with the ability to benefit from contraception without always being the one to contracept.
Our mission is to empower men, and couples, to fully contribute to family planning goals by providing the necessary resources for reproductive autonomy. We believe that contraception is an integral part of empowering people to decide whether and when to have children, and that men suffer from a serious lack of viable options for participating in achieving family planning goals.
Consider this: men currently only have two options for contraception, condoms and vasectomy.
This lack of contraceptive options for men negatively impacts everyone. Addressing this unmet need (and demand!) is a necessary step towards providing couples true reproductive autonomy. We envision a world in which couples can choose what is right for them irrespective of gender. Men deserve the resources needed to manage their reproductive health, and women deserve to be empowered with the ability to benefit from contraception without always being the one to contracept.
Path to an Option
We focus on supporting the research and development of nonhormonal, reversible methods of male contraception (NHRMC). There are many potential approaches to reversibly inhibiting male fertility without using hormones. This allows for the exploration of all sorts of products with varied characteristics and approaches, from a daily pill to an injection that could last for years.
We focus on supporting the research and development of nonhormonal, reversible methods of male contraception (NHRMC). There are many potential approaches to reversibly inhibiting male fertility without using hormones. This allows for the exploration of all sorts of products with varied characteristics and approaches, from a daily pill to an injection that could last for years.
Spermatogenesis
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Sperm Transport
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Sperm Motility
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Fertilization
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Funding Approach
We feel that male contraception is an under-funded and under-researched area of scientific enquiry that has incredible potential. We support the research community in this field through an array of funding strategies, including grants and investments. We also understand the importance of nurturing the next generation of male contraception champions, and we support them through fellowships, internships, travel grants, and more. Our strategy is to support the male contraception research community throughout every step of their professional development and careers as they work towards bringing new male contraceptives to market. |
Male Contraceptive Initiative's Funding Mechanisms
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Advocacy Approach
The reality is that we are still years away from the first new NHRMC methods being available. There are many reasons driving this timeline, but the lack of funding is likely the most daunting. It costs hundreds of millions of dollars, if not more, to bring a new drug to market. We work to provide educational resources and promotional support the field in order to:
- Harness and share the collective voice of those demanding these methods
- Ensure the potential positive impact of male contraception is fully understood
- Convince investors and donors of the market potential
- Share accurate information on male contraceptive development work
- Educate people on the new methods to prepare them for future use
The reality is that we are still years away from the first new NHRMC methods being available. There are many reasons driving this timeline, but the lack of funding is likely the most daunting. It costs hundreds of millions of dollars, if not more, to bring a new drug to market. We work to provide educational resources and promotional support the field in order to:
- Harness and share the collective voice of those demanding these methods
- Ensure the potential positive impact of male contraception is fully understood
- Convince investors and donors of the market potential
- Share accurate information on male contraceptive development work
- Educate people on the new methods to prepare them for future use
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Systemic Impact
The hybrid approach of advancing male contraception research and development through both funding and advocacy efforts will allow us to achieve the impact we are working towards: providing reproductive autonomy for people (and couples) of all genders. It is the necessary, holistic approach that will allow us to:
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Join Us
Male Contraceptive Initiative is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. This allows us to be nimble and innovative in how we approach making our vision a reality. We understand that we are only able to do this necessary work thanks to the generosity of our donors, and work diligently to create opportunities for you to partner with us on our mission. Together we will make “Reproductive Autonomy for All” a reality! |
MCI's Ecosystem
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Read MCI’s 2019 Annual ReportMale Contraceptive Initiative’s Annual Report details our granting strategy, the projects we support, as well as our innovative methods to promote an inclusive world of “team science.” Read the report today.
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Read MCI’s Consumer Research ReportMale Contraceptive Initiative led a study to identify unmet needs and satisfaction with current contraceptive methods among a sample of men across key market segments. This report shares the study’s findings.
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