Breakthroughs in gene technology will make it possible to develop a safe male contraceptive, according to some scientists attending the ongoing annual academic meeting of the Chinese Association for Science and Technology (CAST).

Research on the maturing mechanism in the molecule level of sperm in the epididymis and disclosing the organ's gene group code will help to make an effective male contraceptive, said Zhang Yonglian, academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

Contraceptive drugs targeting the epididymis, which links the testis and the spermatic duct, will not cause serious side effects to other reproductive organs that have more complex functions, nor will it lead to hereditary diseases caused by DNA changes because the genetic recording process has finished before the sperms enter the epididymis from the testis, Zhang explained.

More than 80 percent of those who adopt contraceptive measures in the world are women, according to Liu Yixun, also a CAS academician.

Worrying about the safety of contraceptive drugs, men are reluctant to take contraceptive methods, Liu said.

More and more scientists are now focusing contraception research on the forming, maturing and discharging of sperms and ova, and gene technology is considered a new aid to produce safer male contraceptive drugs.

As the most populous country in the world, China will try to develop safe male contraceptives with the help of gene technology to contribute to humanity, the two scientists said, expressing their determination.

(Xinhua News Agency 09/17/2001)