City researchers aided by funds of nearly $1m

Dundee team helped in bid to create first male contraceptive drug

Dundee University researchers could be the first in the world to develop a safe and effective male contraceptive drug, after receiving a $900,000 grant.

The money, from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, will enable significant progress to be made into what university researchers described as a “neglected” area of study.

Chris Barratt, professor of reproductive medicine in the School of Medicine, said: “No effective, reversible and widely available form of contraception has been developed for the male since the condom and, as such, the burden falls largely to the female.

“Progress towards a male contraceptive has been slow because this is a highly neglected area of medical research. This is against the backdrop of a world where it is estimated that more than 214 million women in developing countries have an unmet need for contraception.

“According to the Guttmacher Institute, this results in 89 million unintended pregnancies and 48 million abortions every year, often pushing women into life choices that increase poverty and pose severe health risks.”

They will utilise the university’s internationally-recognised expertise in male fertility research in the School of Medicine with world-class robotic highthroughput imaging facilities at the National Phenotypic Screening Centre.

The Dundee team was initially funded for a year through the Grand Challenges Explorations initiative, created by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to support innovative thinkers. The new award is for $929,585 over two years.