Cocaine Vaccine Generates Antibodies That Block Effects
From Times staff and wire reports
A vaccine that blocks cocaine from reaching the brain could hold the promise of a new treatment for addicts, according to scientists at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla. George Koob and his colleagues found they could use a chemical structurally similar to cocaine to create antibodies against the drug.
These antibodies stopped the drug from moving into the brain--at least in rats, Koob’s group reported in Nature. The immunized rats also acted different, showing less of the behavior typical of a cocaine high. The vaccine has not been tested in humans.
