Nadja Mannowetz,
Co-Founder & CSO $300,000 / 2 years Awarded 2021 |
Nadja Mannowetz, PhDYourChoice Therapeutics
Berkeley, CA About
Dr. Nadja Mannowetz is the Chief Scientific Officer of YourChoice Therapeutics, who is working on a novel inhibitor of the male contraceptive target Retinoic Acid Receptor Alpha. With a background in sperm biology, Nadja co-founded YourChoice Therapeutics in 2018 with the goal of developing novel non-hormonal contraceptive products. Our Grant
MCI is supporting YourChoice’s work in developing a reversible male contraceptive drug, YCT-529, which prevents the production of new sperm. MCI has both a grant and a program-related investment with YourChoice, which seeks to take any returns and feed them directly back into the contraceptive development community. MCI’s support will facilitate work that progresses YCT-529 towards first-in-human studies and eventual FDA approval. |
MCI Grantee: YourChoice Therapeutics
Male birth control by Bay Area startup now in 1st phase of human testing
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Modernizing Contraception with Your Choice Therapeutics’ Akash Bakshi
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Publications
Noman, M. A. A., Kyzer, J. L., Chung, S. S. W., Wolgemuth, D. J., & Georg, G. I. (2020). Retinoic acid receptor antagonists for male contraception: current status†. Biology of reproduction, 103(2), 390–399. https://doi.org/10.1093/biolre/ioaa122
Hwang JY, Mannowetz N, Zhang Y, Everley RA, Gygi SP, Bewersdorf J, Lishko PV, Chung JJ. Dual Sensing of Physiologic pH and Calcium by EFCAB9 Regulates Sperm Motility. Cell. 2019 May 30;177(6):1480-1494.e19. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2019.03.047. Epub 2019 May 2. PMID: 31056283; PMCID: PMC8808721.
Miller MR, Kenny SJ, Mannowetz N, Mansell SA, Wojcik M, Mendoza S, Zucker RS, Xu K, Lishko PV. Asymmetrically Positioned Flagellar Control Units Regulate Human Sperm Rotation. Cell Rep. 2019 Mar 5;26(10):2847. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2019.02.075. Erratum for: Cell Rep. 2018 Sep 4;24(10):2606-2613. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2018.08.016. PMID: 30840902; PMCID: PMC6531047.
Shi R, Wolgemuth DJ, Georg GI. Development of the retinoic acid receptor alpha-specific antagonist YCT-529 for male contraception: A brief review. Contraception. 2025 Jan 3:110809. doi: 10.1016/j.contraception.2024.110809. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39756562.
Noman, M. A. A., Kyzer, J. L., Chung, S. S. W., Wolgemuth, D. J., & Georg, G. I. (2020). Retinoic acid receptor antagonists for male contraception: current status†. Biology of reproduction, 103(2), 390–399. https://doi.org/10.1093/biolre/ioaa122
Hwang JY, Mannowetz N, Zhang Y, Everley RA, Gygi SP, Bewersdorf J, Lishko PV, Chung JJ. Dual Sensing of Physiologic pH and Calcium by EFCAB9 Regulates Sperm Motility. Cell. 2019 May 30;177(6):1480-1494.e19. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2019.03.047. Epub 2019 May 2. PMID: 31056283; PMCID: PMC8808721.
Miller MR, Kenny SJ, Mannowetz N, Mansell SA, Wojcik M, Mendoza S, Zucker RS, Xu K, Lishko PV. Asymmetrically Positioned Flagellar Control Units Regulate Human Sperm Rotation. Cell Rep. 2019 Mar 5;26(10):2847. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2019.02.075. Erratum for: Cell Rep. 2018 Sep 4;24(10):2606-2613. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2018.08.016. PMID: 30840902; PMCID: PMC6531047.
Shi R, Wolgemuth DJ, Georg GI. Development of the retinoic acid receptor alpha-specific antagonist YCT-529 for male contraception: A brief review. Contraception. 2025 Jan 3:110809. doi: 10.1016/j.contraception.2024.110809. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39756562.
YourChoice Therapeutics In the News
- "YourChoice doses participants in trial of birth control pill for men" from Clinical Trials Arena
- "What We Know About The Male Birth Control Pill YCT-529 Tested By Researchers" in Forbes
- "No hormones, no problem: YourChoice's first-of-its-kind male birth control is safe for men, so far" by Fierce Biotech
- "YourChoice Therapeutics Begins Second Human Study for Hormone-Free Male Birth Control Pill" in BioSpace
- "Pharma eyes male birth control pill for Gen Z" from Axios
- "YourChoice Therapeutics Advances Hormone-Free Male Birth Control Pill to Second Human Study" by Femtech Insider
- "Another promising step towards male birth control has been made" in indy100
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:
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: