As the U. S. opioid epidemic reaches new levels, scientists have been tagged to create a solution. The crisis, which has become a major story in the last years, needs more than simple “just say no” slogan campaigns. While many like to paint the problem as one developed by free will and poor choices, addiction is a mental affliction that needs the same treatment as any chronic condition.

With most generally tried methods failing to provide a proven solution, vaccination has become the next option being considered.

At the moment, the aim is to try and create a new vaccination. The vaccination, picked up by Retro Report, looks to provide a solution and a form of relief for those already addicted to opioids and heroin. The risk of death rises due to detoxification of the system followed by relapse; a common theme among addicts.

The vaccine looks to provide a form of comfort and protection. This would work by providing a barrier to the opioids, making sure that they cannot reach the brain. It would, though, not target treatment for addicts like methadone and buprenorphine. The aim is to create a powerful antibody that, according to Dr. Gary Matyas, an immunologist at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, could be vital to helping addicts recover.

Speaking to the Retro Report, he said that: “You inject heroin, the antibodies basically grab all the heroin, bind it all up, and the heroin can’t cross the blood-brain barrier, “And so there’s no high.”

So, the aim here is simple: to try and remove the toxins from the body in the same way we would any kind of waste product. According to Matyas, it would be an effective part of recovery therapy. “If they mess up and take a dose of heroin, the heroin won’t work.” he said.

As Matyas explained in his interview, there is much work to do – including human testing. It could take as long as a decade when we add in the time-consuming research process involved. With everything from administration to dosage, there’s an immense amount of challenge involved in its synthesis.

At the moment, tests have been carried out on lab rats and mice – with ‘encouraging’ results. With over 52,000 Americans dying on an annual basis from this epidemic, though, time is of the essence. With government policy only reaching the death penalty for drug dealers as an idea, though, it falls on programs like this to try and find a final solution to a deeply divisive crisis.

As ever, there’s immense disagreement within the White House with regards to what the best treatment plan would be. With Alex M. Azar II,  Health and Human Services secretary, endorsing the medication-assisted treatment method, and others rejecting this idea, there’s plenty of work to be done to find consensus.

For those fearful that nothing is being done, though, this may provide at least some comfort.