In this webinar, Drs. Godin and Vansandt present the findings of a recent proof-of-concept study that demonstrates the safety and efficacy of a novel nonsurgical contraceptive in female domestic cats. This contraceptive is based on the adeno-associated viral vector (AAV) delivery of an Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) transgene. Two years after a single intra-muscular delivery of […]
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Michelson Prize & Grants Program: The Future of Pet Population Control
This video is a valuable resource for anyone interested in learning more about the challenges of pet overpopulation and the potential solutions that non-surgical contraception offers.
Found Animals Spot Light: Becky Cyr and the Soul-Dog
By Siobhan Brier After Becky Cyr graduated from college, she was living outside of Boston, and every day, on her way to get coffee, she walked past the studio of a stained glass artist. She became friends with the artist and later began walking his dog, Max. She calls Max her “gateway dog.” So, when […]
Journey to a Nonsurgical Sterilant
By Dick Anderson After nearly a decade in development, a single-dose, nonsurgical sterilant for companion animals has yielded promising results. In a newly published study in Nature Communications, lead author Dr. Lindsey Vansandt, a theriogenologist at the Cincinnati Zoo’s Carl H. Lindner Jr. Family Center for Conservation and Research of Endangered Wildlife, details the findings […]
Michelson Prize & Grants-Funded Study Published in Nature Communications, Offers Potential Alternative to Surgical Spaying
Gene Therapy Produces Long-term Contraception in Female Domestic Cats Michelson Prize & Grants, a program of The Michelson Found Animals Foundation, is offering a $25-million prize to scientists to develop a permanent, “single-treatment,” nonsurgical sterilization method for male and female cats and dogs. Currently, there are no contraceptives capable of producing permanent sterilization in companion […]
2019: A Year in Review for the Michelson Prize & Grants
At the beginning of each year, we like to reflect on our important accomplishments from the past 12 months and prepare for new challenges and opportunities in the year ahead. Since the Michelson Prize & Grants program’s establishment in October 2008, we have committed just over $17 million to 38 grant projects worldwide. These projects […]
Joint Research Effort of Michelson Grantees Kicks Off the New Year in Australia
This February, a new Michelson Grant project will initiate at the University of Newcastle in Callaghan, Australia that will combine the efforts of two previous Michelson Grant recipients, Drs. Lee Smith and John Aitken. The project entitled “Development of nano pharmaceutical strategies for the sterilization of domestic cats and dogs” builds upon technologies developed in […]
2018: A Year in Review for the Michelson Prize & Grants Program
As we look forward to a new year, we on the Michelson Prize & Grants program team would like to share some highlights from our 2018. An important milestone was reached in 2018: On October 16th, the Michelson Prize & Grants celebrated its 10th anniversary as a program of The Michelson Found Animals Foundation. Over […]
2017: A Year in Review for the Michelson Prize & Grants Program
How time flies! Can you believe that the Michelson Prize & Grants program celebrated its ninth anniversary this past October? As we look ahead to what the new year has in store for us, we like to take some time to reflect on the important work that our grantees and partners have accomplished in the […]
2016: A Year in Review for the Michelson Prize & Grants Program
In October 2008, the Michelson Found Animals Foundation announced the creation of the Michelson Prize & Grants program, whose mission is to rapidly develop the world’s first permanent, nonsurgical spay/neuter method for cats and dogs. As we embark on a new year in our quest to create a noninvasive sterilization product for companion animals, we […]
2015: A Year in Review for the Michelson Prize & Grants
2015 proved to be another exciting and productive year for the Michelson Prize & Grants program! As of December, we have received an astounding 345 letters of intent and 127 grant proposals since our program’s creation in October 2008. To date, we have approved 35 proposals for funding and have committed nearly $15 million to […]
Michelson Grants Research Findings To Date: A Look Back on Seven Years of Grant Funding
It’s hard to believe that the time has passed so quickly, but this October marked the 7th anniversary of the Michelson Prize & Grants program! As we celebrate this milestone, we’d like to share with our readers the important progress that has been made since then in the field of nonsurgical sterilization. Through the tireless […]
In Pursuit of a Nonsurgical Sterilant: New Michelson Grant Project Underway at the University of Arizona
We are thrilled to announce that a new Michelson Grant-funded project pursuing a nonsurgical sterilant is underway! The study, led by Dr. Benjamin Renquist of the University of Arizona, is titled, “Enhancing the toxicity of GnRH- and bivalent-targeted RIP conjugates to induce sterility.” This is a continuation of another Michelson Grant-funded project that Dr. Renquist […]
New MPG Research Project Underway at Massachusetts General Hospital
The Michelson Prize & Grants in Reproductive Biology is happy to announce that a new research project has begun this month in the search for a nonsurgical sterilant for cats and dogs. Patricia Donahoe, MD, and David Pepin, PhD, both of the Simches Research Center at Massachusetts General Hospital, have teamed up for a three […]
New Year, New MPG Projects
As 2015 begins, the Michelson Prize & Grants in Reproductive Biology is happy to announce that two new projects have also recently begun! John Lannutti, PhD, a Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at The Ohio State University, has just begun his project, a four-year grant totaling $409,327 titled, “Electrospun delivery to […]
2014: A Year in Review for the Michelson Prize & Grants
As 2014 winds down, we at the Gary Michelson Prize & Grants program would like to take some time to reflect on all of the work that our applicants, grantees, board members, and program staff have carried out over the past year. The MPG program had two milestone achievements in 2014: we received our 300th […]
Three New Members Join the MPG Scientific Advisory Board
The Scientific Advisory Board of the Michelson Prize & Grants in Reproductive Biology has gained three new members: Drs. Thomas Conlon, Kevin Morris, and Marcel Van Duin. Thomas Conlon, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in Pediatrics and the Director of the Powell Gene Therapy Center Toxicology Core at the University of Florida. As the Director […]
USC Michelson Center for Convergent Bioscience Breaks Ground
A new era in medical research began in October, as the USC Michelson Center for Convergent Bioscience broke ground on the University Park Campus of the University of Southern California (USC). The new building, made possible by a $50 million gift from Dr. Gary Michelson, the founder of the Found Animals Foundation, and his wife […]
MPG Scientific Advisory Board Visits the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden
The Scientific Advisory Board of the Michelson Prize & Grants in Reproductive Biology program recently held their final meeting of the year, but this was no typical board meeting – this month the Board found themselves at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden spending time with Bactrian camels, a cheetah, and the only Sumatran rhino […]
Michelson Prize & Grants Featured on NPR
The Michelson Prize & Grants in Reproductive Biology was recently featured on 89.3 KPCC-FM, the Southern California National Public Radio affiliate, to discuss the success of the program to date in the search for a single-dose, permanent, nonsurgical sterilization method for cats and dogs. The story features insight into the Michelson Prize & Grants program […]
New Michelson Grant Projects Begin
The Michelson Prize & Grants in Reproductive Biology is excited to announce several new projects that are currently underway. R. John Aitken, PhD, ScD, FRSE, a Laureate Professor of Biological Sciences at the University of Newcastle in New South Wales, Australia recently began his second Michelson Grant-funded project, a three-year grant totaling $516,377 titled, “Alkylated […]
New Advisors Appointed to Scientific Board
The Michelson Prize & Grants welcomes two new members to the Scientific Advisory Board: Dr. Margaret Barr and Dr. Amy Ross. Margaret Barr, DVM, PhD is a Professor of Virology and Immunology at the College of Veterinary Medicine in Western University of Health Sciences. Her research includes investigating the molecular epidemiology of canine parvovirus and […]
The Michelson Prize & Grants Goes to Europe
In February, Michelson Prize & Grants Program Manager Becky Cyr had the incredible opportunity to attend the 11th International Symposium on GnRH in Salzburg, Austria. The three-day program, which attracted 170 participants from 35 different countries, was packed with sessions on the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis in cancer and reproduction. This was an important meeting for the […]
New Michelson Prize & Grants Website Launches on World Spay Day
February might be our favorite month out of the whole year. Not only is it Spay/Neuter Awareness Month, but today – February 25, 2014 – is also the 20th anniversary of World Spay Day. If you’re reading this blog and you’re already a fan of the Michelson Prize & Grants program, the importance of spay/neuter […]
Dr. Gary K. Michelson Donates $50 Million to New USC Bioscience Center
Dr. Gary Michelson, founder of the Michelson Prize & Grants program, has donated $50 million to the University of Southern California for the construction of a new bioscience research building on campus. The USC Michelson Center for Convergent Bioscience will bring together researchers of multiple fields from within the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts […]
