Open AccessHexavalent sperm-binding IgG antibody released from vaginal film for development of potent on-demand nonhormonal female contraception
Author(s) -
Bhawana Shrestha,
Kathleen L. Vincent,
Antje Schaefer,
Yong Zhu,
Gracie Vargas,
Massoud Motamedi,
Kelsi Swope,
Josh Morton,
C.J.S.M. Simpson,
Henry Pham,
Miles B. Brennan,
Michael Pauly,
Larry Zeitlin,
Barry Bratcher,
Kevin J. Whaley,
Thomas R. Moench,
Samuel K. Lai
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the united states of america
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.011
H-Index - 771
eISSN - 1091-6490
pISSN - 0027-8424
DOI - 10.1073/pnas.2107832118
Subject(s) - sperm , antibody , potency , monoclonal antibody , andrology , microbicide , vagina , semen , immunology , chemistry , medicine , pharmacology , biology , biochemistry , anatomy , in vitro , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv)
Significance Nearly half of all pregnancies in the United States are unintended due to millions of women avoiding available hormonal contraceptive methods as a result of real and/or perceived side effects associated with the use of exogenous hormones. Topical vaginal delivery of antisperm monoclonal antibodies that could agglutinate sperm into clusters too large to penetrate mucus and prevent sperm from reaching the egg represents a potentially safe and potent mechanism for nonhormonal contraception. We report here the engineering of a vaginal film loaded with hexavalent (i.e., 6 Fab) antisperm IgG, made using GMP manufacturing processes, that possesses significantly superior agglutination potency than the parent IgG, enabling potent on-demand nonhormonal contraception via effectively agglutinating all human sperm within minutes.