Researchers at Scripps Research say an experimental vaccine kept fentanyl and several related designer opioids from reaching the brain in mouse studies, potentially offering a way to blunt overdose effects before they begin.
Scientists at Scripps Research have reported early results for an experimental vaccine designed to neutralize fentanyl and a broad range of fentanyl-related “designer drugs” before they can enter the brain.
The work, published in the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, tested an unconventional vaccine component: a molecule that shares some features with fentanyl but has a fundamentally different core structure. Researchers attached this modified molecule to a carrier protein and vaccinated mice in four doses over eight weeks, according to Scripps Research.
In laboratory tests, vaccinated mice produced antibodies that bound strongly to fentanyl and several high-risk variants, including carfentanil, acetylfentanyl and furanylfentanyl. Scripps also reported that the antibodies did not bind to several commonly used medical opioids such as morphine, oxycodone, remifentanil and alfentanil.
The team said the vaccine’s effects were reflected in physiological measures as well as drug distribution. In experiments described by Scripps, mice given fentanyl doses that would typically cause severe respiratory depression maintained nearly normal breathing, and fentanyl levels in the brain were about 70% lower than in unvaccinated control mice.
Kim Janda, senior author of the study, said the strategy is aimed at avoiding a “catch-up” cycle in which countermeasures target only one illicit opioid structure at a time. He added that the vaccine platform could eventually be relevant for people in substance-use recovery programs or others at high risk of fentanyl exposure, but emphasized that clinical trials would still be needed to determine safety and effectiveness in humans.
