Research by MSI PI Gunda Georg and her colleagues may have made the goal of reversible male contraceptives a bit closer. In the cover article of the March 8, 2018 issue of Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, the researchers reveal that modified ouabain, a poison found in African plants, can temporarily paralyze sperm, so that they are not able to fertilize an egg. The paper can be found on the journal’s website: Design, Synthesis, and in Vitro and in Vivo Evaluation of Ouabain Analogues as Potent and Selective Na,K-ATPase alpha-4 Isoform Inhibitors for Male Contraception.
This research has received a great deal of media attention. Links to stories can be found on the College of Pharmacy’s website: Dr. Gunda Georg featured in multiple media outlets for research into a male birth control.
Professor Georg is the Head of the Department of Medicinal Chemistry and the Director of the Institute for Therapeutics Discovery and Development (ITDD). MSI provides support to ITDD researchers on a number of projects.