New Research Moves Closer To Making Male Birth Control Pill

A drug that inhibits the protein STK33, called compound CDD-2807, blocked the ability of male lab mice to fertilize female mice, researchers reported in the journal Science, Dennis Thompson wrote for HealthDayNews.

The birth control pill for men targets a protein required for fertility.

For decades, the responsibility for birth control has fallen largely on women, but new research suggests a birth control pill for men might one day become a reality. How does it work?

It targets a protein required for fertility, scientists report.

The protein, called serine/threonine kinase 33 (STK33), is enriched in the testicles and is specifically required to create functional sperm, they explained, United Press International (UPI) also reported.

"We were pleased to see that the mice did not show signs of toxicity from CDD-2807 treatment, that the compound did not accumulate in the brain, and that the treatment did not alter testis size," said researcher Courtney Sutton, a postdoctoral fellow in pathology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

"Importantly, the contraceptive effect was reversible," Sutton added in a Baylor news release. "After a period without compound CDD-2807, the mice recovered sperm motility and numbers and were fertile again."