Fruit flies may be a boon for contraceptive research

In terms of laying eggs, female fruit flies are surprisingly similar to female humans

According to the Guttmacher Institute, there are approximately 61 million women of childbearing age in the United States, of which approximately 43 million are sexually active but do not want to be pregnant right now

Professor Sun and his colleagues discovered that compounds that can prevent fruit flies (model organisms) from ovulating (the process of releasing a viable egg) can also prevent mice from ovulating

A few years ago, Professor Sun’s laboratory discovered how fruit flies ovulate

He applied for the Gates Foundation's Grand Challenges Explorations Award for contraceptive research, and in 2016 received a $100,000 bonus for a principled experiment: fruit flies can really be used Come to screen for potential contraceptives?

Professor Sun found that the answer is yes

Chlorpromazine is commonly used to treat schizophrenia, but due to its psychoactive properties, it is not suitable for contraception

Professor Sun went on to win $1 million from the Gates Foundation to expand his work and test more candidate compounds

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