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Current ResearchNicotine Vaccine MMRF researchers have developed, and are testing, a nicotine vaccine that may be an effective method for preventing and treating tobacco addiction. Nicotine is the main addictive component of tobacco. The purpose of the vaccine is to prevent nicotine from reaching the brain so as to reduce its effects and help keep people from becoming addicted. When injected in laboratory animals, the vaccine stimulates the immune system to produce proteins called antibodies that bind tightly to nicotine. The antibody-bound nicotine is too large to enter the brain, thereby preventing nicotine from producing its effects. The antibody-bound nicotine is eventually broken down to other harmless molecules. Although the research is preliminary, the vaccine studies performed on rats are very promising. An article in the December 17, 1999 issue of Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior reported that the vaccine reduced the amount of nicotine entering the animals’ brains by almost two-thirds. The vaccine also blocked nicotine’s effect in raising blood pressure and it prevented the hyperactive behavior that researchers see when they inject animals with nicotine. Human trials of the vaccine are planned within the next three years.
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