UNC, Mucommune develops next-generation contraceptive antibody – Schaefer et al., Advanced Science

​

July 23, 2025

​

Researchers from Mucommune, UNC-Chapel Hill and UTMB report the development of a next-generation decavalent sperm-binding antibody engineered to combine exceptional potency with the stability and manufacturability of conventional IgG antibodies. Using a novel laminin-IgG architecture invented at UNC, the molecule was able to further improve the sperm agglutination potency under physiological conditions compared to the first-generation highly multivalent IgG, with activities that exceed the conventional 2-Fab IgG format by >100-fold. In a sheep model, the lead candidate reduced progressively motile sperm by more than 99% within two minutes, and retained full activity when formulated into Mucommune’s FDAT platform. Published in the premier journal Advanced Science, the work established Mucommune’s lead contraceptive monoclonal antibody as a best-in-class molecule for non-hormonal contraception. Mucommune has obtained exclusive license to the underlying intellectual property.