sunny@sun.uucp (Ms. Sunny Kirsten) (03/21/85)
A potential birth control agent (Chemical Week/March 13, 1985)
A new hormone that controls both sperm and egg formation, and which
could be an effective birth control agent for both men and women, has
been isolated by researchers at Monash University (Melbourne,
Australia). David de Krester and Henry Burger took 10 years to purify
the small protein, inhubin, from the fluid surrounding eggs as they
develop in cow ovaries. Inhubin, acting as a messenger from the ovary
and testes, informs the brain of the state of egg and sperm
development, says de Krester. When sperm and egg are fully developed,
the level of inhubin reaches a peak. This peak signals the pituitary
gland to shut off production of another hormone, whose function is to
stimulate development of sperm and egg. Biotechnology Australia
(Melbourne) has been granted licensing rights to inhubin and will spend
$600,000 during the next three years to produce the hormone, using
recombinant-DNA technology, and to bring the compound to clinical
trials.
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{ucbvax,decvax,ihnp4}!sun!sunny (Ms. Sunny Kirsten)fbr@utastro.UUCP (Frank Ray) (03/22/85)
> A potential birth control agent (Chemical Week/March 13, 1985) > > ... Biotechnology Australia (Melbourne) ... will spend > $600,000 during the next three years to produce the hormone, using > recombinant-DNA technology, and to bring the compound to clinical > trials. from: {ucbvax,decvax,ihnp4}!sun!sunny (Ms. Sunny Kirsten) Now if they could just add a little something to prevent genital Herpes, maybe this country could get back on the right track! Better hold off on buying stock in companies producing tasty topical contraceptives; this pill might knock those out of the saddle (pardon the expression). Don't pay any attention to me. It's springtime, Friday, and Delbert McClinton is in town. Am I in heaven? fbr@utastro