New Vaccine to Prevent Opioid Addiction by Colleen Fleiss on April 22, 2021 at 7:16 PM This could be a game changer for addiction, said Therese Kosten, Professor of psychology at the varsity.
An anti-opioid vaccine would protect the brain and nervous system by stimulating the body to create powerful antibodies that target and bind to opioid molecules, preventing them from crossing the blood-brain barrier to reach the brain. By blocking opioids from the brain, the vaccine would reduce respiratory depression brought on by opioids when they reach the brain.
‘Researchers aim to develop an adjuvant opioid use disorder vaccine. An adjuvant molecule boosts the immune system s response to vaccines, a critical component for the effectiveness of anti-addiction vaccines.’