This article discusses a potential vaccine to treat heroin addiction. While this idea has been around for many year, it has never been researched or implemented. Due to the rapidly increasing opioid epidemic in America, people are re-evaluating the current treatment methods and looking for alternative and possibly more effective options. Most psychoactive compounds are small molecules which are far to small to trigger any kind of autoimmune antibody reaction within the body. However, if the drug is bound to a protein which the body does recognize, it can effectively be trained to eventually react solely to the target drug molecule by itself.
The vaccine is constructed using a tetanus toxide core, which is the same as used in the commonly used tetanus vaccine. However, this core is then attached to heroin molecules by chemical bridges called linkers. It is these linkers which are very difficult to design in terms of the appropriate length, flexibility, and chemical makeup. Another difficult factor is knowing which adjuvants to add to the vaccine. These are simply chemical additives such as aluminum salts that are able to able to increase the body's immune system response to a vaccine. Unfortunately, the mechanism they work by is still largely unknown, so there is often much trial and error involved in this process.
A morphine vaccine was initially created and tested in the 1970's, but there was little further research done until now. Current pre-clinical experiments have been done on rodents up through monkeys, so it is likely to enter human clinical trials in the near future. Of course, there are many critics of the idea of a vaccine to treat drug addiction. Vaccines for other drugs such as cocaine and amphetamines have also been developed with equally dismal success. At the core of the criticisms is the idea that drug addiction is a very complicated matter. I have taken many psychology, chemistry, and biology classes, and they each present drug addiction in a slightly different matter. The truth is that it is a very complex process that is psychological and physiological at the same time. The limbic system and VTA make up the reward-pleasure pathway, but that only explains the physiological basis of addiction. Often times, drug addict have a psychological addiction that is even stronger and harder to break than the physiological one. A good example of this is with smoking. Nicotine does not have very strong withdrawal symptoms, yet it is also one of the most difficult drug habits to break. The mental association is just that strong. There is probably a certain degree of genetic predisposition, but also much environmental and social influence.
While this vaccine seems like a promising innovation, it will almost certainly not solve the opioid crisis. However, it is likely to help prevent lethal overdoses in habitual heroin users. In conjunction with other therapies, either chemical or behavioral, it is just one more tool available to combat addiction. Hopefully people will soon realize that there is no magic bullet and a multifaceted approach is needed. It seems that the medical community is aware of this, but it is only something that politicians and the public are starting to accept.
The vaccine is constructed using a tetanus toxide core, which is the same as used in the commonly used tetanus vaccine. However, this core is then attached to heroin molecules by chemical bridges called linkers. It is these linkers which are very difficult to design in terms of the appropriate length, flexibility, and chemical makeup. Another difficult factor is knowing which adjuvants to add to the vaccine. These are simply chemical additives such as aluminum salts that are able to able to increase the body's immune system response to a vaccine. Unfortunately, the mechanism they work by is still largely unknown, so there is often much trial and error involved in this process.
A morphine vaccine was initially created and tested in the 1970's, but there was little further research done until now. Current pre-clinical experiments have been done on rodents up through monkeys, so it is likely to enter human clinical trials in the near future. Of course, there are many critics of the idea of a vaccine to treat drug addiction. Vaccines for other drugs such as cocaine and amphetamines have also been developed with equally dismal success. At the core of the criticisms is the idea that drug addiction is a very complicated matter. I have taken many psychology, chemistry, and biology classes, and they each present drug addiction in a slightly different matter. The truth is that it is a very complex process that is psychological and physiological at the same time. The limbic system and VTA make up the reward-pleasure pathway, but that only explains the physiological basis of addiction. Often times, drug addict have a psychological addiction that is even stronger and harder to break than the physiological one. A good example of this is with smoking. Nicotine does not have very strong withdrawal symptoms, yet it is also one of the most difficult drug habits to break. The mental association is just that strong. There is probably a certain degree of genetic predisposition, but also much environmental and social influence.
While this vaccine seems like a promising innovation, it will almost certainly not solve the opioid crisis. However, it is likely to help prevent lethal overdoses in habitual heroin users. In conjunction with other therapies, either chemical or behavioral, it is just one more tool available to combat addiction. Hopefully people will soon realize that there is no magic bullet and a multifaceted approach is needed. It seems that the medical community is aware of this, but it is only something that politicians and the public are starting to accept.
I am a faithful viewer of intervention the show and people who abuse opiates have a high risk of addiction. Drug use and drug addiction is rapidly increasing. The idea of a vaccine is interesting but many problems can occur. The main issue that I agree with about the research in the article is that the mechanism in which the vaccine works by is still largely unknown. Uncertainty and unfamiliarity can defiantly lead to errors and problems. The question is if a vaccine for a drug is created can a different “strand or type” of heroin be created so that users can still achieve the desired effects from it? Psychologists and many biologists focus on the topic of addiction. The reason why drug abuse and addiction is so difficult to understand and help treat/prevent is because the psychological addition is in some cases more difficult to overcome than the physical dependence of the drug. Although I believe this vaccine would be beneficial it will take a lot more research and time to find the safest and most effective way for it to work.
ReplyDeleteHey Adam,
ReplyDeleteGreat job choosing this article and giving it a splendid summary! I was very happy to see this article as I am newly admitted Pharmacy School Applicant. Both vaccines and opioid abuse are big controversies in my field. It should make sense, then, that two of my personal passions are improving vaccination rates and eliminating illegal opioid abuse. The idea of using a vaccine to treat this potent addiction is a novel idea (to me at least).
As you recognize, this is a clever yet ambitious strategy. Opioid molecules are too small to trigger immune resistance; that’s how they break the blood brain barrier so quickly. The tethering of these molecules to well-treated proteins like tetanus toxide core is a safer progression opposed to developing a new vaccine from scratch. This association sounds particularly difficult to me. I assume cysteine-heavy amino acid sequences and ligase proteins are involved to link these molecules to protein via disulfide bridging. I can only assume that is easier said than done. Further difficulty exists in choosing chemical additives as you note.
In addition to that clever note, you made a statement about addiction that I find admirably profound. Drug addiction “is a very complex process that is psychological and physiological at the same time.” There is so much to consider from fields of psychology, biology and chemistry! I completely agree that this will never be a quick fix and that other problems must be addressed. I do think I may be a bit more optimistic than you about the outcome of this vaccine therapy after years of research. So in that regard, I’d like to ask a final question: Does your author contribute actual clinical research into the capabilities of this vaccine or is this a published preview of theoretical drug development?
Thanks!
Zach Atkinson