The vaccine works by using the
liver to churn out a steady flow of antibodies that destroy nicotine as it
enters the bloodstream, before it can make the circulatory loop to the brain
and the heart. Previous therapies have proven effective at doing this, but they
have to be administered on a regular basis. In mice, one dose of the vaccine
activated the antibody-producing function in the liver for life.
That raises the possibility of a
single vaccination, introduced to a person once in his or her lifetime, that
would free that person from nicotine’s addictive qualities for life. That
person could still choose to enjoy a cigarette for the sheer pleasure of
sucking sweet, sweet tarred tobacco smoke into his or her lungs, but the
capacity for addiction would be muted. It could also be used to treat smokers
who have exhausted other quitting aids.
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