Cocaine Vaccine In the Works 724
martyros writes "Researchers at the Baylor College of Medicine are performing clinical trials of a vaccine that teaches the immune system to attack cocaine, preventing it from giving a high. The vaccine is made by attaching inactivated cocaine molecules to the outside of inactivated cholera proteins. When the immune system attacks the cholera proteins, it also 'learns' the cocaine molecules as well. The result is that the immune system 'recognizes the potent naked drug when it's ingested. The antibodies bind to the cocaine and prevent it from reaching the brain, where it normally would generate the highs that are so addictive.'" An earlier story from The Star notes that human trials for vaccines against both cocaine and nicotine are well under way.
Re:Alternative to drug testing? (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Analogs (Score:3, Informative)
Chantix Works Fine (i have firsthand experience!) (Score:5, Informative)
Chantix got me off of ten years of smoking in two months, experientially, not just for while i was on it, but apparently *reversed* the entire psychological and physical process from those years.
Every other time i tried to quit i'd have to avoid bars and lounges so i didn't come in contact with ANY smoke at all. After chantix therapy, I don't have to avoid anything, *i just don't want to smoke*.
I'll leave it to you (i'm already aware) of exactly why chantix has such a powerful effect. Given, i would never never never..
Re:Possibly useful, but... (Score:5, Informative)
Really? Link please. According to the second TFA [thestar.com] listed, that has not been the case:
"On the outside, they were using less cocaine. They just stopped. None of them switched to another drug of abuse."
Re:Analogs (Score:5, Informative)
But IANAD
Re:Analogs (Score:5, Informative)
Suboxone (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Possibly useful, but... (Score:3, Informative)
Maybe the vaccine will affect that behavior, and that would be good. It is however, pretty well supported that users substitute drugs.
Re:Possibly useful, but... (Score:5, Informative)
Emphasis mine.
=Smidge=
Re:Great, so now they'll just be snorting Adderall (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Possibly useful, but... (Score:2, Informative)
"had no plans" here is a bit of semantic trickiness, I suspect: They had not made plans to stop, but when told that this vaccine could help them, they decided to do so - no other reason to take the vaccine.
Also, "reported . . . a 70% drop in dependence" . . . uh, what does that even mean? There is not a precise measurement happening here.
Re:Possibly useful, but... (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Analogs (Score:5, Informative)
I also did not have a health plan, dental plan, funny card, HMO, fill out this form, do not loose your #2 pencil, and all the other facets of modern medicine.
I do not use drugs, am not interested at all in recreational drugs. A friend of that time though was, and sold me some cocaine. I placed it directly on the tooth and BLESSED RELIEF! It worked absolutely better then the over the counter nostrums. I do not know what experience users enjoy, but, that day, I enjoyed lucid thought free of pain and that made the experience well worthwhile. Incidentally, the street purchase price of that drug was far far less then it would cost to see a doctor, get a 'script, then buy the script without the above paperwork goodness. also whatever the Doc said to use probably would have been about as effective as the nostrums.
Re:Possibly useful, but... (Score:3, Informative)
Also this statement is flat out wrong:
"Addictive behavior with anything is a desire to insulate yourself against actual or perceived problems."
I guess you don't have any experience with addiction because while this can be a factor, it's not 100% of the reason for addictions. Take nicotine addiction as an example. Exactly what actual or perceived problem are nicotine addicts seeking to insulate themselves from? Maybe kids who start smoking do it to insulate themselves from the perceived problem of not being "cool" or something. But adults who have been smoking for years, and couldn't care less about whether or not they are perceived as "cool"? What problem exactly are they trying to insulate themselves against?
Another example - I have an addictive nature when it comes to video games. Fortunately I don't really like MMORPGs or else I'd probably have been sucked into one long ago. But for the games I do like, the characteristics of my behavior surrounding the game are very much like a cocaine or nicotine addiction. I even get a little euphoric 'high' when I realize that I am going to be able to play my game for a few hours, and at the end when I have to stop, I get irritable and angry because I want to keep going. I honestly believe that to a much lesser degree than with serious drug addictions, my brain is responding to many of the same factors.
Now what problem am I try to insulte myself from when I play an addictive game? There is no 'problem' there. I just like some games so much that my brain has developed an addiction to the act of playing those games. I'm not trying to escape anything when I play. My life is fine otherwords. I have nothing to escape from.
Vaccines against the effects of drugs would I think be extremely helpful to people who want to quit but have difficulty controlling their impulse to use the drug. You can call it a crutch if you want, but it doesn't really matter. If it helps people get out of a estructive addiction, does it really matter?
Some addicts will undoubtedly seek out other drugs if their drug of choice stops working. For these people, vaccines against specific drugs would only have short term benefit. There is always the chance that one of these people, once clean and given some opportunities to change their life situation, may decide to fight the urge to seek other drugs. But most will probably
Re:Analogs (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Analogs (Score:5, Informative)
It should fail. (Score:2, Informative)
The key problem is effectiveness. The immune response relies on immunoglobulins, proteins which have about 600 residues per binding site. The immune system evolved to take out large molecules, and the bacteria or whatever hanging off them. Most drugs are small. The rule of thumb is they all weigh 250 amu, call it 2 residues. (That is, equivalent in weight to 2 amino acids). So to mop up a gram of cocaine, you need 300 grams of antibodies in the body devoted solely to the cocaine problem. Forget it. Too big a problem.
Our fungus was more effective, so we were out to mop up only a few milligrams. We did get a biological response. We made the disease worse. That leads to the next problem. Antibodies do not do anything nasty themselves. They just bind and signal to a macrophage to come and eat the problem. So binding a drug does not get rid of it, but turns the drug from a short term compound, maybe readily metabolized, into a slowly released compound. That can make some diseases worse.
So even if the cocaine could get mopped up, all you would achieve is a slow release drug. This could be metabolically effective, as the body may adapt and up or down regulate the cocaine receptors. Don't ask me what would happen. I was an organic chemist, not a vet. So a cocaine high would initially occur, but subsequent weeks-long cocaine release could mess with the cocaine receptors.
Of more interest to us was the next step - modifying antibodies to act as enzymes. In the end, this was never funded. The up-coming DNA revolution swept up all funds, and rightly so.
There is no point in worrying much about not being able to take your daily cocaine hit. I do not expect the vaccine to work as reported. The side effects of the treatment could be interesting, especially if you are on death row, and are given favorable treatment in return for taking cocaine. Even if purely passive, such vaccines could have one judicial use; retaining cocaine or any other drug in the body for weeks would be of use in proving a relapse into drug use, and a parole violation. I cannot see any great cheering from the sidelines for that idea either.
The article referred to is just a report on a newspaper report. My pessimism may be unjustified. I do not have good access to the original. Anyone interested can request further comments or an email. It was all a long time ago.
Re:Possibly useful, but... (Score:2, Informative)
Corrected title (Score:4, Informative)
I agree with the parent, however. Very very informative about the history of our drug war.
Try oil of clove (Score:1, Informative)
I found this out when a dentist put in a temporary dressing that tasted like clove...I asked and he said yes, that is what it is.
Re:Analogs (Score:3, Informative)
Re:LD50 (Score:3, Informative)
With a cocaine vaccine, the cocaine antibodies will bind themselves to the cocaine molecules. The cocaine is thus rendered harmless--harmless to the brain, heart, or other organs. That's the way antibodies work as far as I know. The antibodies will bind to the cocaine and prevent it from being absorbed. Then, as with other toxins, eventually you'll metabolise and excrete it.
If you are vaccinated but you do enough of it you will still get high, depending on how many cocaine antibodies are in your system.