RELEASE ON RECEIPT






                                                  CONTACT: Marguerite Beck


               U.VA. CENTER RECEIVES HALF-MILLION DOLLARS
                FOR WORK IN CONTRACEPTIVE DEVELOPMENT

	CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA., June 12 -- The University of Virginia Center 
for Recombinant Gamete Contraceptive Vaccinogens is one of seven centers in 
the country to receive funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation for its 
educational and research program in contraceptive development. 
	The three-year, $550,000 grant provides support for young scientists 
in reproductive biology and seed money for research relevant to contraceptive 
development. 
	U.Va.'s center, headed by John C. Herr, professor of cell biology, 
is working to isolate and test sperm and egg molecules for possible use in a 
contraceptive vaccine. 
	"One of the main missions of our center is educational outreach and 
Mellon's support will help us expand those efforts," Herr said. "Reproductive 
biology, and in particular the relatively new field of reproductive 
immunology, holds exciting opportunities for young scientists to make a real 
impact on a critical societal problem -- the world's rising population. The 
research discoveries of today lay the groundwork for the contraceptive 
options of tomorrow." 
	The Mellon grant supports:
* a summer research internship program in reproductive biology for minority 
undergraduates who are considering a possible career in biomedical research 
(see note to editors and reporters) 
* a training program for postdoctoral fellows and young faculty
* development of a database of human sperm surface proteins to be used by 
investigators working on sperm-based contraceptive vaccines
	"We are particularly excited by Mellon's support of our summer 
internship program for minority undergraduates," Herr said. "Nationally, 
only about one percent of under-represented minorities pursue careers in 
biomedical research. We hope our program, which is coordinated with an 
existing summer research internship program initiated by the U.Va. School of 
Medicine in 1992, will stimulate interest in reproductive biology and 
reproductive immunology." 
	The summer program in reproductive biology targets, but is not 
limited to, under represented minority students in their junior and senior 
years of college. The goal of the 10-week program, Herr said, is to expose 
students, through hands-on laboratory research, to current ideas at the 
forefront of work in fertilization, gamete development and cell and molecular 
biology.
	Other centers funded by the Mellon Foundation include Baylor College 
of Medicine, University of California - Davis, University of Wisconsin, the 
Population Council, University of North Carolina and University of Washington 
- Seattle.  
                                   ###

                                                June 11, 1996
Note to editors and reporters: The first five students to participate in the 
Mellon Summer Research Internship Program in Reproductive Biology will be at 
U.Va. from June 3 through Aug. 10, 1996. For additional information on the 
program or to arrange interviews with students, contact John Herr at 
924-2007.  Television reporters should contact the U.Va.'s Television News 
Office at 804-924-7550.