​Mucommune develops long-acting vaginal ring that continuously releases contraceptive antibodies – Kushiro et al., Journal of Controlled Release

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June 10, 2026

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Mucommune researchers and collaborators at UNC-CH and UTMB report the development of an intravaginal ring (VR) that continuously releases contraceptive monoclonal antibodies across the fertility window in women for month-long non-hormonal contraception. The VR incorporates a modular design comprising different antibody-filled capsules precisely engineered to control release, enabling both rapid and sustained delivery of the 10-Fab anti-sperm antibody MM008 for 30 days in vitro while fully preserving antibody stability and activity. In a sheep model, antibody released from the VR agglutinated essentially all progressively motile sperm within one minute of seminal instillation at different time points over a 21 day period, while continuous VR wear for 28 days showed no discernible signs of local toxicity and was well tolerated.  The work established for the first time the feasibility of a VR releasing sperm-binding antibodies for month-long non-hormonal contraception in a large animal model. The work was published as the cover article in the June issue of Journal of Controlled Release, the flagship journal for Controlled Release Society. Mucommune has filed worldwide IP protection of the proprietary VR platform.