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​Our Grantees

A scientist wearing blue gloves and a lab coat looks into a microscope, adjusting the slide with one hand in a brightly lit laboratory setting.
A smiling man in a white lab coat stands in a laboratory, with shelves of equipment behind him and two people in lab coats working at a bench in the background.
Robert Braun, PhD

$150,000 / 2 years
Awarded November 2020

The Jackson Laboratory
Bar Harbor, Maine

About

​Robert’s lab is driven by a passion to understand the cell biological basis of gamete (sperm and egg) development. They study how germline stem cells balance self-renewal with differentiation. Stem cell self-renewal at the expense of differentiation can cause germ cell tumors while differentiation at the expense of self-renewal can cause sterility. Their long-term goal is to understand the mechanisms that regulate germline stem cell fate. Other research interests include understanding the molecular function of the hormone testosterone in spermatogenesis.

Our Grant

MCI is supporting Robert’s lab and their work towards developing a novel form of male contraception alongside collaborators at Weill Cornell School of Medicine. Their project focuses on using video capture and artificial intelligence to assess the efficacy of a short-acting male contraceptive.

Press Releases​

Jackson Laboratory Researcher Receives $150,000 to Develop Male Contraceptive
January 8, 2021

A smiling man in a white lab coat stands in a laboratory, with shelves of equipment behind him and two people in lab coats working at a bench in the background.
Robert Braun, PhD

$150,000 / 2 years
Awarded November 2020

The Jackson Laboratory
Bar Harbor, Maine

About

​Robert’s lab is driven by a passion to understand the cell biological basis of gamete (sperm and egg) development. They study how germline stem cells balance self-renewal with differentiation. Stem cell self-renewal at the expense of differentiation can cause germ cell tumors while differentiation at the expense of self-renewal can cause sterility. Their long-term goal is to understand the mechanisms that regulate germline stem cell fate. Other research interests include understanding the molecular function of the hormone testosterone in spermatogenesis.

Our Grant

MCI is supporting Robert’s lab and their work towards developing a novel form of male contraception alongside collaborators at Weill Cornell School of Medicine. Their project focuses on using video capture and artificial intelligence to assess the efficacy of a short-acting male contraceptive.

Press Releases​

Jackson Laboratory Researcher Receives $150,000 to Develop Male Contraceptive
January 8, 2021

Dr. Robert Braun: Revolutionizing Male Contraceptive Efficacy Assessment with AI and Video

Publications

Balbach, Melanie, Vera Beckert, Jan N. Hansen, and Dagmar Wachten, ‘Shedding Light on the Role of CAMP in Mammalian Sperm Physiology’, Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology, 468 (2018), 111–20 <https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mce.2017.11.008>

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
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