Australian researchers have made a major breakthrough in developing hormone-free male contraceptive pills.
The development has been carried out by scientists at Monash University and involves 3D mapping of a key body protein.
The researchers involved said imaging of the protein had been “the main hurdle” in developing a contraceptive pill that would not interfere with long-term sperm viability or sexual and general health.
“Unfortunately, there is a widespread perception that birth control is a women’s problem and not a men’s problem; we hope to change that,” said the study’s lead author, Sab Ventura.
Dr Ventura has led the male contraceptive program at the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences for more than two decades.
“Our main goal is to develop a male contraceptive pill that is not only hormone-free but also avoids side effects, such as long-term irreversible impacts on fertility, and is therefore suitable for young men seeking contraceptive options. “said Dr. Ventura. .
This latest advance has been published in Nature Communications, with the article titled “Structural insights into human P2X1 receptor-ligand interactions.”
In previous studies, researchers at Monash University have shown that male infertility can be achieved genetically by simultaneously removing two proteins that trigger sperm transport: the 1A adrenergic receptor and the purinergic receptor P2X1 (P2X1), but without affecting viability long-term sperm or sexual and general health.
Australian researchers have made a major breakthrough in developing hormone-free male contraceptive pills (file image)
But the chemical biology of the P2X1 receptor was not completely known.
Aiming at the receiver had been like “throwing darts at a bullseye in the hope of success,” Dr. Venture said.
The researchers used cryo-electron microscopy to determine the three-dimensional structure of the receptor; This will allow the design of a more focused and precise drug.
Drugs that target the other key receptor, the 1A adrenergic receptor, are already in use, but targeting P2X1 has been more difficult.
“Now that we know what our therapeutic target looks like, we can generate drugs that can bind to it properly, which is a complete game-changer,” Dr. Venture said.
Lead author Associate Professor David Thal said cryo-electron microscopy had been revolutionary for drug discovery, showing the three-dimensional structure of molecules that were previously too difficult to observe.
Dr Ventura has led the male contraceptive program at the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences for more than two decades (file image)
“By taking advantage of this next-generation technology, we have been able to describe the first high-resolution structure of P2X1, opening a new and interesting set of opportunities to develop drugs targeting this receptor,” he said.
This month, the New South Wales government made the contraceptive pill available to women in pharmacies instead of requiring women to see their GP.
A 2020 study found that in 141 countries, higher fertility rates (the average number of children born to a woman over her lifetime) correlate with women’s lower education levels and GDP.
A widely cited 2009 study says that worldwide 38 percent of annual pregnancies are unwanted and 22 percent end in abortion.
In the United States in 2002, 12 million unwanted pregnancies were prevented, directly saving $19 billion in medical costs, according to the study.
