Kevin Whaley
Boston University, MA·Medicine & Clinical Research
Many women want contraception they can control themselves, without hormones. One proposed option uses antibodies, immune proteins that bind tightly to a specific target.
- Fields
Medicine & Clinical Research
Biomedical Engineering
Pharmacology
- Topics
contraception
non-hormonal contraceptive
monoclonal antibodies
- Grants
- 1 known grant, last ended Aug 2026
What they work on
- Develop a commercializable manufacturing process for ZB-06, a vaginal film carrying the sperm-binding antibody HCA, scaling up from the lab-scale process used in earlier trials.
- Manufacture the HCA antibody drug substance and ZB-06 drug product, with release testing and stability programs, to supply a Phase 1 safety trial and a dose-ranging Phase 2 trial.
- Carry out the toxicology studies required by the FDA before ZB-06 can advance in clinical testing, building on prior experience with the MB66 and ZB-06 films.
- Provide regulatory and quality oversight for ZB-06 manufacturing and clinical trials and pursue commercialization of an antibody-based contraceptive.
More about the research
The project is part of a long-term effort to develop an antibody-based contraceptive. That effort also aims at a multipurpose prevention technology (MPT), one product that would combine a contraceptive antibody with antibodies against sexually transmitted infections.
Why it matters
Women seeking a non-hormonal birth control method they can use on demand could benefit if an antibody-based vaginal film proves safe and effective. The same antibody film approach might later be combined with antibodies against HIV and herpes, offering protection from pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections in one product.
Known grants
From NIH and NSF research grants. Labs often have other funding we can't see.
Closest labs
David Koelle
University of Washington, WA·Microbiology & Immunology
Expand the collection of varicella zoster virus-specific human monoclonal antibodies cloned from shingles skin biopsies and map their fine specificity against viral envelope, tegument, enzyme, and nuclear proteins.
William Geisler
University of Alabama at Birmingham, AL·Medicine & Clinical Research·Early-career
Determine whether the HLA-DQB1*06 gene variant and chlamydia-specific CD4+ IFN-gamma responses from helper T cells can predict new Chlamydia trachomatis infections in women, to guide testing frequency.
Meredith Hay
University of Arizona, AZ·Pharmacology
Conduct six-month chronic toxicology studies in two animal species to define the safety profile and toxicokinetics (how drug levels change in the body over time) of PNA5, a brain-penetrating Mas receptor-activating peptide, given by injection under the skin.
The school
Boston University: 26 labs on PI Pages, $784M a year on research, 630 research doctorates a year.
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