Vaccine for control of fertility

Although sperm toxic antibodies were raised in a heterospecies in 1899 by two pioneers, Landsteiner (1899) and Metchinikoff (1899), it is only today that one can visualize potential vaccines for control of animal or human fertility. An injectable that sterilizes male mammals without loss of libido and decline of testosterone has already received the New Drug Authorization from the Drugs Controller of India and is being marketed through a company. A luteinizing hormone releasing hormone (LHRH) vaccine is being advanced for reversible fertility control of pets by an Australian company and an American company is proposing zona based immunization for sterilization of female animals. As regards human fertility control, an important milestone has recently been reached; a vaccine intended for females is observed to protect women from becoming pregnant. This presentation will briefly review the progress that has taken place in the field and will discuss particularly recent work from our lab, where more than one birth control vaccines (BCVs) are under development.