Celia Santi, MD, PhD
Professor $400,000 - Awarded 2025 |
Celia Santi, MD, PhDWashington University in St. Louis
St. Louis, MO About
Celia Santi is a Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Washington University in St. Louis, where her laboratory studies the ion channel biology of sperm. Her team is among the few in the world with the specialized capability to record electrical currents directly from living human sperm cells — an expertise central to their work discovering drugs that selectively target sperm function. For this project, Dr. Santi collaborates with medicinal chemists and electrophysiologists at Vanderbilt University. Our Grant
SLO3 is a potassium channel found exclusively in sperm, where it controls the activation steps sperm need to successfully fertilize an egg. Men with mutations in the SLO3 gene are infertile, and mice lacking SLO3 are completely sterile but otherwise healthy — making it an attractive target for a non-hormonal, reversible contraceptive with minimal risk of off-target effects. MCI's grant supports the Santi and Vanderbilt teams in optimizing lead drug compounds that block SLO3, with the goal of demonstrating contraceptive efficacy in animal models. |
Publications
Balestrini PA, Sulzyk V, Jabloñski M, Schiavi-Ehrenhaus LJ, González SN, Ferreira JJ, Gómez-Elías MD, Pomata P, Luque GM, Krapf D, Cuasnicu PS, Santi CM, Buffone MG. Membrane potential hyperpolarization: a critical factor in acrosomal exocytosis and fertilization in sperm within the female reproductive tract. Front Cell Dev Biol. 2024 May 13;12:1386980. doi: 10.3389/fcell.2024.1386980. PMID: 38803392; PMCID: PMC11128623.
Lyon MD, Ferreira JJ, Li P, Bhagwat S, Butler A, Anderson K, Polo M, Santi CM. SLO3: A Conserved Regulator of Sperm Membrane Potential. Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Jul 7;24(13):11205. doi: 10.3390/ijms241311205. PMID: 37446382; PMCID: PMC10342799.
Lyon MD, Ferreira JJ, Li P, Bhagwat S, Butler A, Anderson K, Polo M, Santi CM. SLO3: A Conserved Regulator of Sperm Membrane Potential. Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Jul 7;24(13):11205. doi: 10.3390/ijms241311205. PMID: 37446382; PMCID: PMC10342799.
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Our grantees and fellows represent some of the finest minds in the male contraception research community from around the world.
At Male Contraceptive Initiative, we prioritize funding research that aligns with our mission of driving male contraception closer to clinical trials. We strategically allocate our resources to support a diverse range of projects, focusing on non-hormonal and reversible methods that have the potential to meet the needs of a broader population. Our goal is to catalyze progress in this field and bring innovative male birth control options to market.
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At Male Contraceptive Initiative, we prioritize funding research that aligns with our mission of driving male contraception closer to clinical trials. We strategically allocate our resources to support a diverse range of projects, focusing on non-hormonal and reversible methods that have the potential to meet the needs of a broader population. Our goal is to catalyze progress in this field and bring innovative male birth control options to market.
Discover the innovative research being conducted by our grantees and fellows by clicking on the buttons below:
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