![]() And we hope that as the manufacturing capability of producing viral vectors increases with the rise of gene therapy in humans, delivering this contraceptive in the field to control unowned outdoor cat populations will become feasible.” “Our goal is to show that safe and effective permanent contraception in companion animals can be achieved using gene therapy. “This technology may be a little ahead of its time,” acknowledges Pépin, noting that the infrastructure needed to produce enough doses to sterilize millions of cats via gene therapy does not yet exist. Additional studies in a larger number of cats are needed to confirm these promising findings, he adds. “The treatment maintained high AMH levels for over two years, and we’re confident that those contraceptive levels will be sustained in the animals for much longer,” says veterinarian Philippe Godin, co-author and research fellow at MGH. There were no adverse effects observed in any of the treated female cats, demonstrating that at the doses tested, the gene therapy was safe and well tolerated. Suppressing ovarian follicle development and ovulation did not affect important hormones such as estrogen. The researchers followed the female cats for more than two years, assessing the effect of the treatment on reproductive hormones, ovarian cycles, and fertility.Īll the control cats produced kittens, but none of the cats treated with the gene therapy got pregnant. A male cat was brought into the female colony for two four-month-long mating trials. The researchers treated six female cats with the gene therapy at two different doses, and three cats served as controls. “A single injection of the gene therapy vector causes the cat’s muscles to produce AMH, which is normally only produced in the ovaries, and raises the overall level of AMH about 100 times higher than normal,” says Pépin. Human therapies using similar AAV vectors to deliver various therapeutic genes have proven to be safe and effective and have been approved by the FDA. To raise AMH levels in female domestic cats, the researchers created an adeno-associated viral (AAV) gene therapy vector with a slightly altered version of the feline AMH gene. ![]() The team then turned their attention to felines. In 2017, Pépin and his collaborators were the first to publish the contraceptive potential of AMH in rodents. Donahoe, a co-author of this study and the director of Pediatric Surgical Research Laboratories and chief emerita of Pediatric Surgical Services at MGH. “AMH (also known as Müllerian inhibiting substance, or MIS) is a naturally occurring non-steroidal hormone produced by the ovaries in human females and other mammals, and in the testes in males,” says Patricia K. The research is published in the latest issue of Nature Communications.ĭuring previous research to evaluate AMH as a method to protect ovarian reserve in women undergoing chemotherapy, senior author David Pépin, associate director of the Pediatric Surgical Research Laboratories at MGH, and an associate professor at Harvard Medical School, discovered that raising the level of AMH beyond a certain threshold suppressed the growth of ovarian follicles, effectively preventing ovulation and conception. Play as both cat and dog, either alone or with a friend! Master swords, staves and more to become a fur-midable fighter! More spells bring even more furry judgement to your foes.For the first time, researchers have isolated a hormone that can prevent cats from getting pregnant.Ī single dose of a viral vector containing anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH), a naturally occurring hormone, prevented ovulation and conception in female cats for at least two years, according to researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital and their collaborators. ![]() Play as both a cat and dog as you explore their kingdoms solo or with a friend! Quest in a world filled with magic, curious monsters, and go on a catventure like never before!įollowing the success of the acclaimed CAT QUEST, developers The Gentlebros return to the world of Felingard to expand on the original with more explosive spells, expanded weapon options, an exciting new character switch mechanic, and local co-op! All new switch and local co-op gameplay. Under threat from a continuing war between the cats of Felingard and the advancing dogs of the Lupus Empire, CAT QUEST II tells the tail of two kings, brought together against their will, on a journey of paw-some discovery to reclaim their thrones. Cat Quest II is a 2D open-world action-RPG set in a fantasy realm of cats and dogs. ![]()
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