By Kaoutar Nasser | Staff Writer
Contraception has always been a weight borne almost solely by women. Most efficient birth control drugs target the female reproductive system; the only two male contraceptive methods are condoms, an error-prone method of contraception, and vasectomy, which is less likely to be used because of its cost and long-term, largely irreversible effects. However, this shouldn’t be the case; birth control is known to have detrimental effects on the health of women, and both genders should have the right to participate in birth control.
Scientists have been working on achieving that for a long time. However no pills managed to get approved in the market.
“[Researchers] have been trying for decades to develop an effective male oral contraceptive, but there are still no approved pills on the market,” said Md Abdullah Al Noman, a graduate student who presented the work at the American Chemical Society’s spring meeting.
All of this, however, seems to be heading towards change. After passing the first round of clinical testing, and proving 99% effective in mice, a new drug will start human trials later this year.
This new discovery was unveiled at the aforementioned American Chemical Society’s meeting. These findings will work towards splitting the responsibilities of contraception between males and females and enhancing men’s role in their reproductive health, thus relieving women of this burden they have carried alone for years.
How do these pills work?
To develop this pill, the team focused on a protein called retinoic acid receptor (RAR) alpha, enabling them to design a non-hormonal medication. Retinoic acid is a form of Vitamin A which is involved in cell proliferation, sperm production, and embryo development. To fulfil these duties, retinoic acid must interact with RAR-alpha, a receptor that translates the presence of retinoic acid to a signal the cell can respond to.
During their research, the team of scientists found that eliminating RAR-alpha from the cells of male mice turned them sterile with no noticeable adverse effects. Therefore, by creating a chemical that blocks RAR-alpha from working properly, the same effect was produced. This is achieved by using a molecule called YCT529, which is a potency inhibitor of RAR-alpha. What makes this such a promising drug is that 4 to 6 weeks after treatment with RARA inhibitor, the mice could conceive again.
Currently, the team which recently received funding from the National Institutes of Health and the Male Contraceptive Initiative, is working with a company called YourChoice Therapeutics to start human trials by the third or fourth quarter of 2022, said Gunda I. Georg, Regents Professor and Department Head, Department of Medicinal Chemistry in the University of Minnesota.
“I’m optimistic this will move forward quickly,” Georg said, envisaging a possible timeline to market in five years or under.