Anti-addiction vaccinations are made to prohibit addictive molecules from getting to the brain, where they create chemical dependencies. Vaccines can make this a reality, by creating antibodies (proteins made by your immune system) that bind to addictive particles and make them stop dead in their tracks. But this solution isn’t perfect.
Addiction molecules are most often too minute to detect in the human immune system. Meaning these molecules can move around in the body unnoticed. Researchers have developed two strategies for dealing with this issue. One of which involves active immunity by tethering an addictive molecule to a larger molecule, like proteins related to the common cold. The viral shell doesn’t make people sick but will force the body to produce high levels of antibodies against the flu and whatever comes with it. In the lab, this method has been tested on animal models successfully and blocked chemical forms of nicotine and cocaine from reaching the brain.
The lab has cultured monoclonal anitbodies that will bind to the addictive molecules within the body, but a downside to furthering this study is the price tag on these monoclonal antibodies and they also need to be given often to prove effective.
Circumvention solutions have been tested out on mice by modifying the livers of these mice to produce and secrete large amounts of anti-addictive monoclonal antibodies, but this is still in early stages. If this treatment eventually becomes available, it would be a huge breakthrough in addiction prevention and treatment.
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