Skip to navigation menu Skip to main content Skip to footer
Donate

​Our Grantees

A scientist wearing blue gloves and a lab coat looks through a microscope, adjusting a sample slide with one hand in a bright, modern laboratory setting.
Two scientists wearing white lab coats stand in a bright, modern laboratory filled with scientific equipment, lab supplies, and shelves of containers. They look at the camera, standing side by side in the center aisle.
John Howl, PhD Professor

$150,000 / 2 Years

Awarded January 2023

University of Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton, England

About

Dr. John Howl is a Professor at the University of Wolverhampton exploring the design, microwave-enhanced synthesis, and applications of cell-penetrating peptides.

Our Grant

Our support for the team facilitates the optimization of STOPSPERM bioportides, which are small peptides that can interrupt protein-protein interactions required for fertility. This global collaboration includes investigators Margarida Fardilha at the University of Aveiro, Portugal, David Craik at the University of Queensland in Australia, and Erick Silva at the, Institute of Biosciences, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Botucatu-SP, Brazil.

Two scientists wearing white lab coats stand in a bright, modern laboratory filled with scientific equipment, lab supplies, and shelves of containers. They look at the camera, standing side by side in the center aisle.
John Howl, PhD Professor

$150,000 / 2 Years

Awarded January 2023

University of Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton, England

About

Dr. John Howl is a Professor at the University of Wolverhampton exploring the design, microwave-enhanced synthesis, and applications of cell-penetrating peptides.

Our Grant

Our support for the team facilitates the optimization of STOPSPERM bioportides, which are small peptides that can interrupt protein-protein interactions required for fertility. This global collaboration includes investigators Margarida Fardilha at the University of Aveiro, Portugal, David Craik at the University of Queensland in Australia, and Erick Silva at the, Institute of Biosciences, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Botucatu-SP, Brazil.

Dr. John Howl: Pioneering STOPSPERM Bioportides for Next-Generation Male Contraception

Publications

​​Howl, J., Silva, J. V., Fardilha, M., & Jones, S. (2022). Protein Mimicry and the Design of Bioactive Cell-Penetrating Peptides: The Genesis of STOPSPERM Bioportides. Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.), 2383, 293–306. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-1752-6_20

Silva, J. V., Freitas, M. J., Santiago, J., Jones, S., Guimarães, S., Vijayaraghavan, S., Publicover, S., Colombo, G., Howl, J., & Fardilha, M. (2021). Disruption of protein phosphatase 1 complexes with the use of bioportides as a novel approach to target sperm motility. Fertility and sterility, 115(2), 348–362. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fertnstert.2020.08.013

John Howl In the News:

Meet MCI's Grantees & Fellows!

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.

Discover the innovative research being conducted by our grantees and fellows by clicking on the buttons below:

MCI'S GRANTEES
MCI'S FELLOWS

Looking for Something?

Welcome to your comprehensive resource on the future of male contraception! We have packed this site with vital information, and to help you find exactly what you need, we’ve created a detailed guide. Please use the Table of Contents on our homepage to easily navigate to the research, news, or resources that interest you most. This will ensure you can explore all of our important content with ease. You can access the Table of Contents by clicking on the button below:

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Support Us