A team of researchers at Scripps Institute in San Diego is experiencing a vaccine that can get rid of heroin addiction. Created drug blocks the processing of heroin, resulting in no effect of drugs after its admission.
A group of scientists in the field of chemical biology under the guidance of Dr. Kim Janda of Scripps Research Institute has entered the final stages of testing a new vaccine that promises to save drug addicts from heroin addiction.
We tried to develop several vaccines – against nicotine, cocaine, amphetamine – and came close to creating a vaccine against heroin. The main difficulty lay in the fact that small molecules of heroin is not recognized by the immune system as foreign, but we figured out how to teach the immune system to recognize their , “- says Dr. Janda.
Scientists led by Dr. Janda synthesized geroinopodobnuyu molecule with which it achieved recognition in the immune system. This vaccine is undergoing a transformation of the body are the same as the real heroine, and gradually learns to recognize the immunity of heroin products of metabolism. The result – after a series of vaccinations in the body creates antibodies that destroy molecules of heroin before they can penetrate into the brain. That is actually created by the drug blocks the processing of heroin, resulting in no effect of drugs after his admission.
The vaccine has already been successfully tested on rats. After administration of the vaccine in the experimental rats, the absence of psychotropic effects, as well as reducing the need for the drug. However, the new vaccine is sensitive only to heroin and its derivatives and not work against other substances opioid group.
The results of these studies were published in July in the journal of medicinal chemistry, and now scientists say about the big future in the new vaccine – after all because of heroin addiction among drug users in the U.S. economy loses $ 22 billion a year – and the cost of drug treatment and the cost of operations to prevent the spread. According to scientists, created antigeroinovaya vaccine could make a sensational breakthrough in the treatment of drug abuse, especially if its use is combined with other previously known methods of treatment.
The research team of Dr. Janda is also close to the creation of vaccines against nicotine and cocaine. Clinical trials of these vaccines is now being conducted on a group of volunteers.
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