They won't cure addiction, but, they could help those who want to kick the habit, so say researchers. These vaccines are being designed to protect against the sudden urge to use, so if a patient does use it, there wouldn't be any of the effects. Tests on PCP will begin this year.
Illegal drugs have molecules so tiny they sneak unnoticed throughout the body's immune system.
To create antibodies, researchers must attach the molecule to a protein large enough to set off the immune systems alarms. Either way, the antibody stops the drug in the bloodstream, before it travels to the brain. So far, at least, that's how it works in animals. The ability to bind the drugs to antibodies could be a major advantage in treatment. Cocaine addiction is a bigger problem.