“The Power of the Pill” is a phrase commonly used to refer to the transformative impact of oral contraceptives in bringing reproductive autonomy to women. After the first contraceptive pill was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 1960, women gained greater control over if-and-when they had children, which in turn expanded opportunities for education and career development—shifting societal views on gender norms.
However, with great power comes great responsibility. Improved access to female contraception inadvertently placed the majority of family planning responsibilities on women, and, particularly in the absence of adequate education and support, this can play a part in unplanned pregnancy. In turn, an unplanned pregnancy can result in relationship strain and wider socioeconomic impacts.
Since pregnancy involves two people, contraceptive decisions and responsibility should be shared equally where possible. At present, there are no options for men or women that are wholly sufficient. Although women have a handful of options, nearly half of all women will switch or discontinue their contraceptive method within one year due to side effects or intolerability. Meanwhile, men are limited to the same options they have had for over 50 years: condoms, withdrawal, or vasectomy.
However, the next decade holds hope for change. As public demand for male contraception grows, so does the ambition of researchers to develop safe, effective, and reversible male birth control.
Technology Networks spoke with co-founders of YourChoice Therapeutics (YCT), Nadja Mannowetz, PhD, and Akash Bakshi, MSc. They discuss their non-hormonal male contraceptive compound, YCT-529, and the meaningful change this may bring to shared reproductive responsibility.
Izzy Hirst (IH):
Science Writer
Technology Networks
Izzy graduated from the University of Hull with a bachelor’s degree in biomedical sciences (first class honors). She then completed a two-year master’s degree in physician associate studies at Hull York Medical School.
Izzy joined Technology Networks in January 2026 and covers topics such as drug discovery and biopharma.
Akash, you have led YCT since its inception. Can you describe how you entered the field and what led you to focus on non-hormonal contraceptive development?
Akash Bakshi, MSc (AB):
Chief Executive Officer
YourChoice Therapeutics
Akash Bakshi completed an MSc in biotechnology in 2011, with a background in biochemistry and cell biology. In 2018, Akash co-founded YCT. Since then, he has served as chief executive officer (CEO) with the vision of developing non-hormonal contraceptives for men and women.
Initial interest in developing non-hormonal contraceptives stemmed from the fact that my co-founder is a sperm expert. If you focus on what’s biologically possible, the key questions are straightforward: can we make sperm swim faster, or swim slower? Can we decrease sperm production? These levers naturally point toward the development of a contraceptive.
We initially focused on the development of non-hormonal female contraceptives. We saw that women were underserved by the contraceptives they had access to. If you ask women, “Are you satisfied with your hormonal method or with an IUD?”, by and large, women will tell you that they are looking for something else. That is how we originally started YCT: we began developing non-hormonal contraceptives for women and then shifted focus towards non-hormonal contraceptives for men. Based on investor feedback, we realized that we needed to work on the biggest challenge first—non-hormonal contraceptives for men.
People would argue that men can’t be trusted to take responsibility for contraception. If we let that opinion stop us from developing male contraceptives, women will continue to bear the full responsibility. Men will only take responsibility when we enable them to take it. They need an option.
IH:
Science Writer
Technology Networks
Izzy graduated from the University of Hull with a bachelor’s degree in biomedical sciences (first class honors). She then completed a two-year master’s degree in physician associate studies at Hull York Medical School.
Izzy joined Technology Networks in January 2026 and covers topics such as drug discovery and biopharma.
Dr. Mannowetz, you co-founded YCT in 2018, but your journey to becoming a sperm biologist before this was not linear. Can you share your background and describe how you became invested in this research?
Nadja Mannowetz, PhD (NM):
Chief Scientific Officer
YourChoice Therapeutics
In 2018, Dr. Mannowetz co-founded YCT with the goal of developing non-hormonal family planning tools for men and women, after developing YCT-529, a novel, male contraceptive compound. Dr. Mannowetz has made multiple contributions to science, including revealing important bicarbonate-mediated pathways of early sperm activation and characterizing the principal potassium channel of human sperm cells.
By training, I am a food engineer, but I gained a PhD in biology, which prepared me for my first postdoctoral position at the University of Marburg, Germany. There, I had to teach medical students, and I was teaching a cadaver class with a colleague who had been studying sperm cells. I thought, wow, that sounds more interesting than my immunology project.
In 2007, the same colleague started his own research group, which I joined, and that set my path towards becoming a sperm expert. In 2017, we showed that plant-derived compounds prevent a motility pattern in sperm cells that is crucial for fertilization. We thought the pharmaceutical industry would be very interested in licensing that technology. We learned better—no one was interested. That led us to start our own company. We created the opportunity ourselves.
IH:
Science Writer
Technology Networks
Izzy graduated from the University of Hull with a bachelor’s degree in biomedical sciences (first class honors). She then completed a two-year master’s degree in physician associate studies at Hull York Medical School.
Izzy joined Technology Networks in January 2026 and covers topics such as drug discovery and biopharma.
What is YCT-529 and how does it work as a contraceptive?
NM:
Chief Scientific Officer
YourChoice Therapeutics
In 2018, Dr. Mannowetz co-founded YCT with the goal of developing non-hormonal family planning tools for men and women, after developing YCT-529, a novel, male contraceptive compound. Dr. Mannowetz has made multiple contributions to science, including revealing important bicarbonate-mediated pathways of early sperm activation and characterizing the principal potassium channel of human sperm cells.
YCT-529 is a small molecule that stops the production of sperm cells. It is a retinoic acid receptor alpha (RARα) inhibitor. It has been known for over 100 years that vitamin A signaling in the testes is essential for male fertility and spermatogenesis.
YCT-529 does not change vitamin A levels in men’s bodies. Instead, it prevents the final metabolite of vitamin A, retinoic acid, from binding to its receptor, which is needed to maintain sperm production. YCT-529 blocks the receptor so retinoic acid cannot bind, which leads to the shutdown of sperm production. Once males stop taking the pill, sperm production resumes. We have shown this mechanism in several animal species, and it is safe to say that this mechanism is well conserved within mammals.
AB:
Chief Executive Officer
YourChoice Therapeutics
Akash Bakshi completed an MSc in biotechnology in 2011, with a background in biochemistry and cell biology. In 2018, Akash co-founded YCT. Since then, he has served as chief executive officer (CEO) with the vision of developing non-hormonal contraceptives for men and women.
There are three isoforms of the [retinoic acid] receptor: alpha, beta, and gamma. Our thought is that if we inhibit alpha and beta, gamma can pick up the slack, and only things that require solely alpha for initiation will be inhibited. And in this instance, that’s sperm production.
IH:
Science Writer
Technology Networks
Izzy graduated from the University of Hull with a bachelor’s degree in biomedical sciences (first class honors). She then completed a two-year master’s degree in physician associate studies at Hull York Medical School.
Izzy joined Technology Networks in January 2026 and covers topics such as drug discovery and biopharma.
YCT-529 is currently in Phase 1b/2a clinical trials. This is the first time efficacy and reversibility in humans will be tested. Do you anticipate any challenges with this compared to its application in animals and human cell models?
AB:
Chief Executive Officer
YourChoice Therapeutics
Akash Bakshi completed an MSc in biotechnology in 2011, with a background in biochemistry and cell biology. In 2018, Akash co-founded YCT. Since then, he has served as chief executive officer (CEO) with the vision of developing non-hormonal contraceptives for men and women.
It’s hard to compare. I know humans are animals, but I don’t think clinical trials with humans are similar to preclinical testing in animals. The entire process is different in that, when we dosed mice and dogs, we never had them fill out a psychosexual questionnaire. Whereas with humans, we ask so many questions and hear feedback in ways that animals cannot tell us. Animal studies do not prepare you for human studies.
NM:
Chief Scientific Officer
YourChoice Therapeutics
In 2018, Dr. Mannowetz co-founded YCT with the goal of developing non-hormonal family planning tools for men and women, after developing YCT-529, a novel, male contraceptive compound. Dr. Mannowetz has made multiple contributions to science, including revealing important bicarbonate-mediated pathways of early sperm activation and characterizing the principal potassium channel of human sperm cells.
The infrastructure is different, but in terms of assessments, it is nearly identical. We assess sperm concentrations and, for safety, we assess the same panels with blood draws. So, there are things that are very similar, and there are things that are not so similar.
IH:
Science Writer
Technology Networks
Izzy graduated from the University of Hull with a bachelor’s degree in biomedical sciences (first class honors). She then completed a two-year master’s degree in physician associate studies at Hull York Medical School.
Izzy joined Technology Networks in January 2026 and covers topics such as drug discovery and biopharma.
Limitations of current male contraceptives include invasive procedures, inconsistent reversibility, and high failure rates. How does an oral tablet aim to address these limitations, and does it introduce additional limitations of its own?
AB:
Chief Executive Officer
YourChoice Therapeutics
Akash Bakshi completed an MSc in biotechnology in 2011, with a background in biochemistry and cell biology. In 2018, Akash co-founded YCT. Since then, he has served as chief executive officer (CEO) with the vision of developing non-hormonal contraceptives for men and women.
The efficacy of condoms in preventing pregnancy ranges from 98% with perfect use to 87% in real-world use. Part of the reason could be that condoms are an on-demand method; perhaps the user is distracted and user error occurs. We expect that a daily pill would decrease that error.
My hope is that, for couples who do not know one another, that they should still use a condom. If the condom breaks, are we not more grateful that the man was on the pill? This is an additional safety mechanism that will exist in addition to condoms.
Also, for a male contraceptive, we anticipate that men can do an at-home sperm test to prove to their female partner that they are compliant. This is a tool that can build trust amongst couples and decrease risk.
NM:
Chief Scientific Officer
YourChoice Therapeutics
In 2018, Dr. Mannowetz co-founded YCT with the goal of developing non-hormonal family planning tools for men and women, after developing YCT-529, a novel, male contraceptive compound. Dr. Mannowetz has made multiple contributions to science, including revealing important bicarbonate-mediated pathways of early sperm activation and characterizing the principal potassium channel of human sperm cells.
Compared to a vasectomy, which is a surgical procedure, it’s clear that an oral pill is not invasive. It comes back to creating options—men want options as much as women do.
Also, if men come in every three months to have their prescription refilled, they would not only get tested for STIs, but we would also recommend that they have their overall health checked: hematology, liver panel enzymes, heart enzymes, and so on.
IH:
Science Writer
Technology Networks
Izzy graduated from the University of Hull with a bachelor’s degree in biomedical sciences (first class honors). She then completed a two-year master’s degree in physician associate studies at Hull York Medical School.
Izzy joined Technology Networks in January 2026 and covers topics such as drug discovery and biopharma.
This compound’s development has been advancing steadily. What factors have contributed to this progress, and when might patients expect access to it, if clinical data remains positive?
AB:
Chief Executive Officer
YourChoice Therapeutics
Akash Bakshi completed an MSc in biotechnology in 2011, with a background in biochemistry and cell biology. In 2018, Akash co-founded YCT. Since then, he has served as chief executive officer (CEO) with the vision of developing non-hormonal contraceptives for men and women.
I wish I could give you a timeline. I think we have been able to move so quickly in developing this asset because of its safety profile so far.
Another factor contributing to our progress is the strength of our partnership. Nadja and I met at Berkeley—she was a scientist, and I worked in the intellectual property licensing office. When Nadja decided to spin out the company and asked if I wanted to join, there was a leap of faith, since she did not know me nearly as well as she does now.
The early days of building the company were the most fun. When you have champagne ambitions on a Sprite budget, you’re forced to use your imagination and creativity.
NM:
Chief Scientific Officer
YourChoice Therapeutics
In 2018, Dr. Mannowetz co-founded YCT with the goal of developing non-hormonal family planning tools for men and women, after developing YCT-529, a novel, male contraceptive compound. Dr. Mannowetz has made multiple contributions to science, including revealing important bicarbonate-mediated pathways of early sperm activation and characterizing the principal potassium channel of human sperm cells.
We collected great animal data, which allowed us to start our phase one trial in Nottingham. I would also say that Akash and I are very mission-driven. We want to make progress and move ahead.
When I worked in lab settings, results were only discussed with peers or at scientific conferences. Now, I can use my expertise to develop something that will make a positive impact on people, change lives, and, hopefully, decrease the general burden of contraception on women, specifically the hormonal burden that comes with it.
IH:
Science Writer
Technology Networks
Izzy graduated from the University of Hull with a bachelor’s degree in biomedical sciences (first class honors). She then completed a two-year master’s degree in physician associate studies at Hull York Medical School.
Izzy joined Technology Networks in January 2026 and covers topics such as drug discovery and biopharma.
What impact do you think male contraceptives could have on the overall contraceptive landscape, and how might this affect women and couples who have relied on other options until now?
AB:
Chief Executive Officer
YourChoice Therapeutics
Akash Bakshi completed an MSc in biotechnology in 2011, with a background in biochemistry and cell biology. In 2018, Akash co-founded YCT. Since then, he has served as chief executive officer (CEO) with the vision of developing non-hormonal contraceptives for men and women.
At a minimum, my hope is that any male contraceptive should decrease the unplanned pregnancy rate. Societally, women should be able to trust men to take responsibility for family planning. That will bring about a shift in which men take on responsibility for both women’s health and their own health.
NM:
Chief Scientific Officer
YourChoice Therapeutics
In 2018, Dr. Mannowetz co-founded YCT with the goal of developing non-hormonal family planning tools for men and women, after developing YCT-529, a novel, male contraceptive compound. Dr. Mannowetz has made multiple contributions to science, including revealing important bicarbonate-mediated pathways of early sperm activation and characterizing the principal potassium channel of human sperm cells.
I grew up in an era when it was clear—contraception, girls, that’s your job. Now, we receive emails from men saying, “my partner cannot deal with hormonal contraception, I want to do something for her, for us”.
Bringing more male contraceptive options to the game will bring meaningful change, not only to couples to reduce the risk of unplanned pregnancy, but it will also shift how we think of contraception and who takes on the responsibility.
Within 30 years, there has been a huge shift, and if we can play our part in continuing this shift, I will be blown away.