An Experimental Birth Control Attacks Sperm Like a Virus

August 30, 2021

(Wired) – So scientists have been working on a new method that would be easy to use, discreet, and effective without changing women’s hormones. This strategy uses manufactured proteins called monoclonal antibodies to mimic antibodies used by the immune system and attack sperm before they make it to the egg. Recent papers—one published in Science Translational Medicine in August and another published in EBioMedicine in July—demonstrate that these antibodies can latch onto sperm and render them impotent. Other studies have investigated whether these antibodies could be used to fight off HIV or the virus that causes herpes, and whether they are safe to apply as a topical contraceptive or as an insert like a vaginal ring. (Read Full Article)