The anti-nicotine vaccine is undergoing clinical trials
Russian scientists are developing a vaccine against smoking
A vaccine against smoking, which is being developed by Russian scientists, may appear in pharmacies in five years. This was announced today by Dmitry Ovchinnikov, Deputy General Director of the drug development company Selecta / RUS/. "We are now entering the 2nd phase of clinical trials," he said.
Selecta /RUS/ is the "daughter" of an American innovative company, which opened its division in Khimki in 2012. According to Ovchinnikov, the development of "anti-tobacco" and a number of other vaccines was transferred from America to Russia, "because specialists of the necessary qualifications work here." Favorable financing conditions also played a role. Thus, the project to create a vaccine against smoking received a grant from the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation.
The scientist noted that "existing methods of treatment for tobacco addiction are ineffective," and the new vaccine should provide a breakthrough in this area. As a result of its action, the body will produce antibodies that will block nicotine before entering the brain.
In the laboratory in Khimki, scientists are working on creating a kind of molecular "nano-container" that will "precisely" deliver the components of the vaccine to the cells responsible for triggering the immune response. Antibodies, in turn, bind nicotine in the blood. The resulting complex turns out to be too large to penetrate the so-called blood-brain barrier, which protects the brain from harmful substances and infections. As a result, nicotine does not enter the "pleasure center" in the brain, and smoking does not cause feelings of euphoria and satisfaction. The chain of pathological dependence on tobacco is being broken.
Ovchinnikov said that Selecta /RUS/ specialists are also working on the creation of vaccines against melanoma, type 1 diabetes, hepatitis B and other diseases.
"The work of this laboratory is a vivid example of technology transfer to Russia," said Sergey Filippov, a representative of Rusnano. He pointed out that Rusnano owns 12 percent of the shares of the American company SelectaBiosciences, whose daughter is Selecta / RUS/
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru06.09.2013