I saw this and hope it sparks some discussion! The hope that this is
closer to realisation in the US than RISUG is would be NICE!

THURSDAY, Nov. 11 (HealthDayNews) -- A vaccine against a sperm-
related protein made male monkeys temporarily infertile, an approach
that might lead to a contraceptive for men, researchers report.

But there are a lot of questions to be answered and many tests to be
done before such a contraceptive becomes a reality, said Michael G.
O'Rand, a professor of cell biology at the University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is leader of the group reporting the
finding in the Nov. 12 issue of Science.

While women have the pill, men now are limited to using condoms or
having a vasectomy for contraception. The search for a male pill has
been going on for years, mainly aiming at interfering with the male
sex hormones. O'Rand's group is trying an alternative approach
called immunocontraception, which tries to have the immune system
attack sperm and render them incapable of fertilization.

The vaccine they used in the trial is aimed at a protein designated
Eppin, which is found in the epididymis, the network of tubes
through which sperm passes.

Seven of nine macaque monkeys injected with the vaccine developed
immune responses against their sperm strong enough to make them
infertile, the journal report said, and five of the seven recovered
fertility when immunization stopped.

The next step after the monkey trial is uncertain, O'Rand said,
because "it depends on whether we can secure some funding." His hope
is that a pharmaceutical company will provide the money needed for
safety tests and other trials needed before a human study is
conceivable.

"People are aware of the possibilities, but how interested they are
I don't know," O'Rand said.

But the need is there, according to O'Rand. "Women have many
alternatives," he said. "Men have almost none, particularly in
developing countries."

There are a lot of questions to be answered, agreed Susan Benoff,
director of the fertility research laboratory at North Shore-Long
Island Jewish Hospital in Manhasset, N.Y., and past president of the
Society for Male Reproduction and Urology.

The vaccine failed in two of the nine monkeys, an unacceptably high
rate, and two of the monkeys failed to recover fertility, Benoff
noted. "I don't know that any man who is not considering a vasectomy
would be willing to do something that would not be reversible," she
said.

Also, the method would have to be shown completely effective in its
attack against sperm, Benoff said. "It takes only one motile sperm
to initiate a pregnancy," she said.

This is not the first attempt at immunocontraception, Benoff
said. "People have tried to make anti-sperm antibodies for years,"
she said. "I don't see anything to suggest that this is any better
than previous efforts."

Still, she said she doesn't rule out the possibility that O'Rand and
his colleagues could succeed. "Maybe if they can answer some of my
questions, this could be developed," Benoff said. "But a lot more
information is required."

More information

An overview of male contraceptive research can be found at the
Population Council.

SOURCES: Michael G. O'Rand, Ph.D., professor, cell biology,
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; Susan Benoff, Ph.D,
director, fertility research laboratory, North Shore-Long Island
Jewish Hospital, Manhassett, N.Y.; Nov. 12, 2004, Science

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