BioCentury
ARTICLE | Translation in Brief

Vaccinating against addiction

How a vaccine against heroin could curb addiction

June 21, 2017 6:47 PM UTC

A team from The Scripps Research Institute has designed a vaccine against heroin that it believes could be a game changer for fighting heroin addiction. Having shown it can block the drug’s effects in mice and monkeys, the group is now looking for a partner to help take it into the clinic.

Vaccination strategies against addictive substances aim to trigger production of polyclonal IgG antibodies that bind and sequester the drug in the periphery, preventing it from entering the brain. The idea is that if the drug no longer activates the brain’s reward circuitry or causes euphoria, patients will lose interest...

BCIQ Company Profiles

Scripps Research