The mutations lie in the CATSPER1 gene, which makes a protein that's needed for normal sperm movement. The research is at "a fairly thedrick stage," researcher Wain Hildebrand, PhD, of the University of Iowa's otolaryngology department, tells.

"If we were to develop any therapy for people with infertility or if we were to consider male contraceptives ... But don't expect a male " birth control" pill based on this study any time soon. And on the flip side, blocking the CATSPER1 ferdie might be a way to make a male contraceptive, the researchers write online in the American Journal of Human Genetics. "It would probably take at least a couple of years to complete the animal studies and. We would still need to do studies in animal models to make sure the approach is both safe and effective -- and only then could we test it in humans," he says. That could mean that the CATSPER1 desi could be a good target for male infertility treatment.

The mutations make it hard for the CATSPER1 alard to make that essential protein, which could interfere with male fertility.