Peel off the patch, spit out the gum. American scientists believe they are close to developing a vaccine for nicotine addiction that could stub out smoking for good.
They are testing a synthetic molecule that destroys tobacco’s “feelgood” effect by stimulating white blood cells to smother nicotine when it reaches the bloodstream. This prevents nicotine from creating an artificial “high” in the brain. Scientists at the Scripps Research Institute, California, hope to try out the injection on humans within three years.
If the molecule works, the principle could be adapted to vaccinate children against addiction to drugs, including cocaine and heroin. Last week Kim Janda, a leading researcher at the Californian biomedical laboratory, said vaccination would start with a series of jabs over six weeks but after that injections would be needed only three times a year.
“All that is left is the taste of the smoke,” he said last week. “We hope that’s enough to persuade many people to give up.”
Early evidence suggests the Scripps vaccine will not work for everyone but it could save thousands of lives. “People are already talking about vaccinating children, but this raises profound moral questions,” said Janda. “Do you want to inject kids just in case they develop a habit later? Which children? The rich or the poor?”
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Daryl Shorter, a psychiatrist at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, which is working on a cocaine vaccine, predicts vaccinations could be available within 15 years.
“For many it will remain a personal choice,” said Janda. “I do not understand why my 22-year-old daughter smokes. She, unlike previous generations, knows the risks. But you can only help people up to a point — then it’s up to them.”