Scientists have invented a vaccine against smoking

Scientists from Cornell University Medical School (New York) announced a real breakthrough in the fight against addiction. In fact, we are talking about a successful attempt to create immunity to smoking. Researchers have managed to develop a vaccine that, after a single use, eliminates nicotine addiction for life.

The vaccine, which was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the National Cancer Research Foundation, works by triggering the liver to produce antibodies against nicotine. The first tests on laboratory animals showed that nicotine is neutralized by antibodies immediately when it enters the bloodstream, without having time to reach the bloodstream not only to the brain, but also to the heart.

The innovation lies in the type of new vaccine. Today, two types of vaccines are widely used in medicine: active and passive. The first type of vaccine is used to protect people from polio, mumps, etc. They contain a small amount of the pathogen, and the immune system reacts and forms a response to it. However, the small nicotine molecule is not recognized by the immune system and therefore cannot be incorporated into an active vaccine.

Passive vaccines deliver ready-made antibodies to the body. For example, monoclonal antibodies introduced from outside affect proteins responsible for the growth and division of cancer cells in breast cancer. However, the method was considered unpromising for combating nicotine addiction: monoclonal antibodies against nicotine molecules act only for a few weeks, and then a new expensive injection will be required. The second disadvantage of a passive nicotine vaccine is the need to select an individual dosage, especially if a person starts smoking again.

As a result, the researchers created a third, new type - a genetic vaccine, which had previously been tested on mice to treat certain eye diseases and some types of tumors. The anti-nicotine vaccine uses the same model.

The scientists took sequences of genetically engineered nicotine antibodies and put them into a harmless adeno-linked virus developed by the Scripps Research Institute. The antibody sequences also included information that directed the vaccine to liver cells (hepatocytes). As a result, antibodies are integrated into the nuclei of hepatocytes and these cells begin to constantly generate large quantities of antibodies, which, when they encounter nicotine molecules, absorb them, like Pacman.

“We believe the best treatment for chronic smoking addiction is a patrol of antibodies that clear the blood as needed before nicotine has any biological effect,” said lead author and professor of genetic medicine Dr. Ronald J. Crystal.

According to the authors of the vaccine, it is suitable not only for treating people who find it very difficult to cope with addiction on their own. According to statistics, 70–80% of people who quit smoke again within six months. In the case of vaccination, even if a relapse occurs, the person simply will not receive any pleasure from the process. The use of the vaccine for preventive purposes is also theoretically considered. Parents who do not want their teenage children to start smoking can thus protect them from the bad habit.

The method, invented by scientists at Cornell University Medical School, is currently in the patent stage and is being tested on laboratory mice. It will then be tested on primates and humans.

Source: rbcdaily.ru