IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,508,255
Granted Patent B2
US 12,508,255 · App. 18/949,880 · Granted Dec 30, 2025

Methods and products for improving sperm quality

Inventors: Rebecca Louise Robker (South Australia, AU); Macarena Bermudez Gonzalez (South Australia, AU)
Assignee: The University of Adelaide
A61K31/4545A01N1/126C12N5/061C12N2501/724
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,508,255
App. No.
18/949,880
Granted
Dec 30, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

Disclosed are methods and products for improving the quality of sperm, methods for treating subjects to improve sperm quality or improve fertility, and use of sperm with improved quality in assisted reproductive technologies, including exposing the sperm to BGP-15 and/or a derivative thereof, such as BGP-15, propanolol, bimoclomol, arimoclomal, NG94, iroxanadine, and/or a pharmaceutically acceptable derivative, prodrug, solvate, salt, tautomer, stereoisomer, and/or racemate thereof.

Claims (14)

1 . A method of improving sperm quality, the method comprising:

incubating a population of sperm within a media comprising BGP-15 or a salt thereof in vitro for an effective duration of time at an effective dose, thereby improving one or more indicators of sperm quality selected from sperm motility, viability, DNA integrity, and mitochondrial function, as compared to a population of sperm incubated within a same media in vitro for the same effective duration but without the BGP-15 or salt thereof within the media.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the effective duration is 6 hours or less.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the effective duration is 3 hours or less.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the effective duration is 1 hour.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the effective dose is 1 to 50 uM.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the effective dose is 10 uM.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the effective duration is 3 hours or less and the effective dose is 1 to 50 uM.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the effective duration is 3 hours or less and the effective dose is 10 uM.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the effective duration is 1 hour and the effective dose is 1 to 50 uM.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the effective duration is 1 hour and the effective dose is 10 uM.

11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the media comprises human serum albumin, glucose, sodium pyruvate, sodium bicarbonate, and gentamicin sulphate.

12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the effective duration is 1 hour, the effective dose is 10 uM, and the media comprises human serum albumin, glucose, sodium pyruvate, sodium bicarbonate, and gentamicin sulphate.

13 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising isolating the population of sperm by a swim-up method, a density gradient method, centrifugation with buffered media, magnetic-activated cell sorting (MACS), or microfluidic sorting.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 10, 2026
From: ROBKER, REBECCA LOUISE; BERMUDEZ GONZALEZ, MACARENA
To: THE UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE
Reel/Frame 075592/0141 →
NUNC PRO TUNC ASSIGNMENT Recorded Jun 2, 2026
From: THE UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE
To: ADELAIDE UNIVERSITY
Reel/Frame 075843/0344 →
Priority Claims (1)
AU 2017903857 · Sep 22, 2017 · national
Continuity (2)
Continuation 16649222
Related Publication 20250073221A1 · Mar 6, 2025
References Cited (30)
US 20190201389A1 · Jensen et al. · 2019 [cited by applicant]
EP 1468690A1 · 2004 [cited by applicant]
HU 207988B · 1993 [cited by applicant]
WO WO1999055354A1 · 1999 [cited by applicant]
WO WO2001079174A1 · 2001 [cited by applicant]
WO WO20131052995A1 · 2013 [cited by applicant]
Varghese et al. “Loss of heat shock protein 70 from apical region of buffalo ( [cited by examiner]
Banoth, et al., “New chemo-enzymatic synthesis of {R)-1-chloro-3-{piperidin-1-yl) propan-2-ol,” Tetrahedron: Asymmetry, vol. 23, 2012, pp. 1564-1570. [cited by applicant]
Budzynski, et al. “Chaperone co-inducer BGP-15 inhibits histone deacetylases and enhances the heat shock response through increased chromatin accessibility”, Cell Stress & Chaperones, Published May 4, 2017, vol. 22, pp.… [cited by applicant]
Celik-Ozenci, et al., “Role of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerases in male reproduction”, Spermatogenesis, vol. 3, Issue 2, Artilce e24194, Published 2013. [cited by applicant]
Erata, et al. “The role of heat shock protein 70 (Hsp 70) in male infertility: is it a line of defense against sperm DNA fragmentation?,” Fertility and Sterility, vol. 90, Issue 2, Published Aug. 2008, pp. 322-327. [cited by applicant]
Hong, et al., “The inhibitory action of procaine, (+)-propranolol and (+/−)-propranolol on human sperm motility: 1: tntagonism by caffeine,” British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 1981, vol. 12, No. 5, pp. 751-753. [cited by applicant]
Katib, “Mechanisms linking obesity to male infertility,” Cent European J Ural., vol. 68, No. 1, 2015, pp. 79-85. [cited by applicant]
Lucio, et al., “Oxidative stress at different stages of two-step semen cryopreservation procedures in dogs”, Theriogenology, vol. 85, Issue 9, Published Jun. 2016, pp. 1568-1575. [cited by applicant]
Office Action for U.S. Appl. No. 16/649,222, Dated Jan. 26, 2024, 19 pages. [cited by applicant]
Office Action for U.S. Appl. No. 16/649,222, Dated Dec. 13, 2021, 19 pages. [cited by applicant]
Office Action for U.S. Appl. No. 16/649,222, Dated Dec. 9, 2022, 17 pages. [cited by applicant]
Office Action for U.S. Appl. No. 16/649,222, Dated Jun. 27, 2023, 19 pages. [cited by applicant]
Office Action for U.S. Appl. No. 16/649,222, Dated Jul. 28, 2022, 21 pages. [cited by applicant]
Parab, et al., “HDAC6 deacetylates alpha tubulin in sperm and modulates sperm motility in Holtzman rat”, Cell & Tissue Research, vol. 359, Published Nov. 20, 2014, pp. 665-678. [cited by applicant]
Rickard, et al., “The identification of proteomic markers of sperm freezing resilience in ram seminal plasma”, Journal of Proteomics, vol. 126, Published Aug. 3, 2015, pp. 303-311. [cited by applicant]
Robker, et al., “Improving gamete quality to increase IVF outcomes,” The University of Adelaide, 2018, https:11www.canberra-ip.com/technology/27777, 2 pages. [cited by applicant]
Sapra, et al., “The samll-molecule BGP-15 protects against heart failure and atrial fibrillation in mice,” Nature Communications, Dec. 9, 2014, pp. 1-16. [cited by applicant]
Spinaci et al. Immunolocalization of heat shock protein 70 (Hsp 70) in boar spermatozoa and its role during fertilization, Molecular Reproduction & Development, Published Sep. 2, 2005, vol. 72, pp. 534-541. [cited by applicant]
Intemational Search Report, dated Nov. 28, 2018, from corresponding PCT application No. PCT/AU2018/051040. [cited by applicant]
Stanger, “The Effect of Catecholamines and Their Antagonists on the Fertilization of Cumulus-Free Mouse Pva In Vitro at a Suboptimal Spermatozoa! Density,” Gamete Research 7:111-122 (1983). [cited by applicant]
Sumegi, et al., “BGP-15 Protects against Oxidative Stress-or Lipopolysaccharide-induced Mitochondrial bestablilization and Reduces Mitochondrial Production of Reactive Oxygen Species,” PLOS One, Jan. 3, 2017, pp. 1-19. [cited by applicant]
Szabados, et al., “BGP-15, a nicotinic amidoxime derivate protecting heart from ischemia reperfusion injury through modulation of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase,” Biochemical Pharmacology, vol. 59, No. 8, Apr. 15, 2000, pp… [cited by applicant]
Wu, et al., “Mitochondrial dysfunction in oocytes of obese mothers: transmission to offspring and reversal by pharmacological endoplasmic reticulum stress inhibitors,” The Company of Biologists Ltd, 2015, pp. 681-691. [cited by applicant]
Zhang, et al., “Association of heat shock protein 70 with motility of frozen-thawed sperm in bulls,” Czech Journal of r Animal Science, 2015, vol. 60, No. 6, pp. 256-262. [cited by applicant]