Male Contraception Publications: 2Q'25

This blog series highlights pertinent publications that were featured in MCI's monthly newsletter editions in the second quarter of 2025. The purpose of this blog is to report interesting or relevant work from MCI Fellows, Grantees, staff members, and other community authors in the field of male contraception.

Identification of TSSK1 and TSSK2 as Novel Targets for Male Contraception
Highlighting MCI Grantee Pablo Visconti and MCI Fellow Saman Nayyab, this publication validates the targets TSSK1 and TSSK2 as potential routes towards a male contraceptive using a mouse knockout model. 
 
Standardized outcome measures for reporting results from male contraceptive efficacy trials
For male contraceptive studies that suppress spermatogenesis, contraceptive failures can occur in three distinct ways. This publication argues that these three types of contraceptive failure differ from female contraceptives studies and necessitate a novel approach to reporting results from male contraceptive efficacy trials.
 
Strategies to Develop Na,K-ATPase-α4 Inhibitors as Male Contraceptives
 This paper, from the labs of MCI grantees Gunda Georg and Gustavo Blanco, details the synthesis and testing of a new series of inhibitors for the sperm-specific isoform of the sodium/potassium cotransporter.  Mouse knockouts of this isoform have shown infertility as a result of sperm immotility, and the investigators are aiming to develop a drug that similarly inhibits sperm motility or hyperactivation.
 
Development of Male Contraceptives Is Critical for Women's Health
This commentary from Dr. Wei Yan at Washington State University argues that male contraceptive development should be recognized as an essential component of women’s health research and policy.