DNA Vaccine that Sterilized Mice can be Science’s Answer to Single Shot Birth Control

With this new discovery, animal control will only be a single shot away. This new injection will make the mice infertile by misleading their muscles into creating antibodies that block the hormones. The researchers say that the untamed population of cats and dogs will be easy to control if this approach is successful in neutering these animals. This finding may some day be used on humans too, as a long term birth control option, says Science Mag.

For many years, the most common method to control reproduction has been spaying or neuter surgeries. However, these surgeries can be a huge cost as the animals need to be aestheticized before it can be performed, which is also one of the biggest reasons why the feral animal population remains largely uncontrolled, as per Science Mag.

A study published in Current Biology reveals that the scientists at California Institute of Technology have found inexpensive and effective ways to control dog/cat population with the help of this single shot injection. In humans and animals, a hormone called GnRH spurs the development of sperm and eggs in the body. The scientists used small amount of DNA to see if the muscle cells can be tricked into creating antibodies that can fight the production of this hormone. The researchers gave the shot to mice and in about 2 months, when there were enough antibodies in their system, they became completely infertile, reports Popular Science.

As per Science News, this technology will one day be usable on humans too, if successful. However, for the near future, the researchers would like to control the population of cats and deer only. This cheaper and faster way of inhibiting the growth can be a useful tool to check the animal population.