New Vaccine Helps Prevents Drug Overdose

A new vaccine developed by researchers at the Scripps Research Institute can protect against a drug overdose of fentanyl, according to new research.

Fentanyl, a synthetic painkiller that’s 80 times more powerful than morphine, has caused a rise in drug overdose deaths over the past decade because it has become increasingly available. Drug dealers even use it as a substitute for heroin.
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These events prompted researchers to create a vaccine that reverses a fentanyl-induced overdose—a first of its kind.

The vaccine’s molecular structure is similar to that of fentanyl, which helps the immune system recognize the substance. The immune system will then produce antibodies to neutralize the substance before it reaches the brain, essentially blocking the feeling of being high.

To test the vaccine, researchers administered 3 vaccinations 2 weeks apart from each other to mouse models of fentanyl addiction and overdose.

Through analyzing the mice’s blood samples, researchers found that the mice’s immune systems continued to neutralize fentanyl months after the third vaccination. In addition, it took 30 times the normal dose of fentanyl for vaccinated mice to appear high.

“Our newly developed fentanyl vaccine and analytical methods may assist in the battle against synthetic opioid abuse,” researchers concluded.

—Amanda Balbi

Reference:

Bremer PT, Kimishima A, Schlosburg JE, et al. Combatting synthetic designer opioids: A conjugate vaccine ablates lethal doses of fentanyl class drugs. Angew Chem Int Ed. Published online February 19, 2016. doi:10.1002/anie.201511654.