As wacky as it may sound a cocaine vaccine is in the works and is actually more science than it is science fiction. Now this caught my attention:

“Addicts unable to kick a cocaine habit could one day be vaccinated against cocaine and see proof with a molecular imaging technique that shows how the vaccine prompts antibodies to whisk away the drug before it can reach the brain, say researchers at SNM’s 59th Annual Meeting.”

As is generally known, especially to addicts, cocaine is a highly addictive drug that easily crosses the blood-brain barrier and stimulate the neurotransmitter dopamine, which signals pleasure and reward.

According to MedicalXpress.com, “The investigative vaccine, dubbed dAd5GNE and developed by Ronald Crystal, M.D., professor and chairman of genetic medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College, worksby combining a cocaine-like molecule with part of the common cold virus. Once inside the body, the immune system recognizes the viral particles, which then send out antibodies that bind cocaine in blood and prevent cocaine from entering the brain. The vaccine thereby prevents interaction with dopamine transporters and eliminates an addict’s ability to get high from cocaine.”

So, with modern medicine there is hope even for those who seem to be hopeless addicted right now.