Non-Hormonal Contraception by Nanobody Produced from Within the Body

Eric Reiter of the Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE) in France will engineer nanobody-based biologicals to block ovulation as a practical, non-hormonal contraceptive with fewer side effects. Blocking the molecular regulators of ovulation is an attractive contraceptive mechanism. However, it can also affect steroid hormone production, which causes undesirable side-effects. Nanobodies are antigen-binding domains of antibodies that can very selectively modulate signal transduction pathways. They will identify candidate nanobodies that may selectively block ovulation using a phage display approach and functional screens. Specifically, this work will focus on identifying nanobodies that are biased ligands, triggering receptors selectively to yield only the desired downstream responses. These candidates will be engineered to produce long-lasting biologicals that will then be administered to mice and ewes to evaluate their ability to block ovulation as a proof-of-principle.