The opioid epidemic: could a vaccine prevent addiction and overdose?

Written by Ebony Torrington, Future Science Group

Scientists at Scripps Research (CA, USA) have created a vaccine containing monoclonal antibodies that could be successful in treating the effects of many synthetic opioids, including carfentanil. The research team, led by Kim Janda from Scripps Research, looked at the ability of newly developed opioid antibodies in vaccines on animals. Janda and her team tested the antibodies using a pain response experiment, in which a heated beam of light is applied to a mouse’s tail. The time taken for the mouse to remove its tail from the beam was then recorded. Janda and the research team found that mice administered...

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