CENTER FOR DEVELOPMENT OF ANTISPERM CONTRACEPTIVES

该中心的重点是精子细胞作为避孕目标。 细胞和分子生物学最近取得了显著的进展， 免疫学和受精研究。这些进步结合起来， 为避孕干预开辟新的可能性， 精子细胞，这可能是以前想象过的，但无法实现。 抗精子避孕可以针对精子功能或精子 发展我们中心的项目包括这两个目标。重大主题 免疫避孕是阻断精子功能。我们中心 正在积极研究精子质膜蛋白， 精卵相互作用男性或女性接种这些疫苗 蛋白质可以导致不育，因为精子在配子中起作用， 相互作用被附着的抗体阻断。 第二个主题是阻止精子发育。新的免疫和 药理学策略来破坏精子的复杂过程 生产在此提出。在上一个赠款期间，我们的中心 将其全部精力投入到第一个主题，免疫避孕，以阻止 精子功能然而，我们所有研究精子功能的人都知道， 精子发生研究的进展，并意识到新的，可行的 避孕目标精子发育正在确定中。因此我们 我提议扩大我们的目标名单，包括精子 发展，扩大我们的范围和机会， 产品.

The focus of this Center is the sperm cell as a contraceptive target. Remarkable advances have occurred recently in cell and molecular biology, immunology and fertilization research. These advances have combined to open new possibilities for contraceptive intervention, directed against sperm cells, that may have been previously imagined but were unattainable. Anti-sperm contraception can target sperm function or sperm development. Our Center's projects include both targets. The major theme of our Center is immunocontraception to block sperm function. Our Center is actively studying sperm plasma membrane proteins that function in sperm-egg interaction. Immunization of males or females with these proteins can induce infertility because sperm function in gamete interaction is blocked by attached antibodies. A second theme is to block sperm development. Novel immunological and pharmacological strategies to derail the complex process of sperm production are proposed here. In the previous grant period, our Center devote all its efforts to the first theme, immunocontraception to block sperm function. However, all of us who study sperm function are aware of advances in spermatogenesis research and realized that new, feasible contraceptive targets sperm development are being identified. Thus, we have proposed an expansion of our target list to include sperm development, increasing our scope and chances of developing contraceptive products.