Gunda Georg, Regents Professor and Department Head
$342,000 / 2 years Awarded January 2021 $150,000 / 2 years Awarded April 2018 |
Gunda Georg, PhDUniversity of Minnesota College of Pharmacy
Minneapolis, MN About
Dr. Gunda Georg is a Regents Professor, Department Head, and Endowed Chair at the University of Minnesota. She is also the co-Editor-In-Chief of the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry. Her 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. Our Grant
With MCI’s support, Gunda’s lab is investigating the sperm-specific isoform of Na,K-ATPase, which is crucial for sperm motility. Inhibitors of Na,K-ATPase could make excellent male contraceptives that could be used daily or potentially even on-demand. A previous grant with Dr. Georg's lab focused on investigating the testis-specific serine kinase (TSSK) family, looking for inhibitors of TSSK1 and TSSK2. These proteins are expressed post-meiotically, and are likely involved in multiple steps that could make them excellent contraceptive targets. With their focus on translational research, Gunda and her lab are focused on developing these targets for contraception, and moving them towards the clinical side. Recently, Dr. Georg said, “Reversible, effective male birth control is within sight. World Health Organization numbers suggest that reducing sperm motility by 50 percent or less is sufficient to temporarily make a man infertile. Our ongoing research brings us one step closer to expanding the options for male birth control, providing the world’s 7.6 billion people with a much-needed option for safe and reversible contraception.” |
Publications
Hawkinson, Jon E., Rondedrick Sinville, Deepti Mudaliar, Jagathpala Shetty, Timothy Ward, John C. Herr, and Gunda I. Georg. “Potent Pyrimidine and Pyrrolopyrimidine Inhibitors of Testis-Specific Serine/Threonine Kinase 2 (TSSK2).” ChemMedChem 12, no. 22 (November 22, 2017): 1857–65. https://doi.org/10.1002/cmdc.201700503.
Shetty, Jagathpala, Rondedrick Sinville, Igor A. Shumilin, Wladek Minor, Jianhai Zhang, Jon E. Hawkinson, Gunda I. Georg, Charles J. Flickinger, and John C. Herr. “Recombinant Production of Enzymatically Active Male Contraceptive Drug Target HTSSK2 – Localization of the TSKS Domain Phosphorylated by TSSK2.” Protein Expression and Purification 121 (May 2016): 88–96. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pep.2016.01.009.
Li, Y., J. Sosnik, L. Brassard, M. Reese, N. A. Spiridonov, T. C. Bates, G. R. Johnson, J. Anguita, P. E. Visconti, and A. M. Salicioni. “Expression and Localization of Five Members of the Testis-Specific Serine Kinase (Tssk) Family in Mouse and Human Sperm and Testis.” Molecular Human Reproduction 17, no. 1 (January 1, 2011): 42–56. https://doi.org/10.1093/molehr/gaq071.
Hawkinson, Jon E., Rondedrick Sinville, Deepti Mudaliar, Jagathpala Shetty, Timothy Ward, John C. Herr, and Gunda I. Georg. “Potent Pyrimidine and Pyrrolopyrimidine Inhibitors of Testis-Specific Serine/Threonine Kinase 2 (TSSK2).” ChemMedChem 12, no. 22 (November 22, 2017): 1857–65. https://doi.org/10.1002/cmdc.201700503.
Shetty, Jagathpala, Rondedrick Sinville, Igor A. Shumilin, Wladek Minor, Jianhai Zhang, Jon E. Hawkinson, Gunda I. Georg, Charles J. Flickinger, and John C. Herr. “Recombinant Production of Enzymatically Active Male Contraceptive Drug Target HTSSK2 – Localization of the TSKS Domain Phosphorylated by TSSK2.” Protein Expression and Purification 121 (May 2016): 88–96. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pep.2016.01.009.
Li, Y., J. Sosnik, L. Brassard, M. Reese, N. A. Spiridonov, T. C. Bates, G. R. Johnson, J. Anguita, P. E. Visconti, and A. M. Salicioni. “Expression and Localization of Five Members of the Testis-Specific Serine Kinase (Tssk) Family in Mouse and Human Sperm and Testis.” Molecular Human Reproduction 17, no. 1 (January 1, 2011): 42–56. https://doi.org/10.1093/molehr/gaq071.