Cocaine addiction is a major social and public health problem in the United States for which there is no effective therapy. A novel approach is to immunize cocaine addicts to induce a neutralizing anti-cocaine antibody response. Cocaine is bound by the antibody in the patient and the addict receives no gratification from the use of the illegal drug. Immunization regimens will be defined which can be used in humans. The goal is to maximize the titer, affinity, specificity and in vivo efficacy of the anti-cocaine antibody response. The efficacy of the cocaine therapeutic vaccine will be assessed by its effect on cocaine redistribution in vivo in the mouse and using the self-administration model of cocaine addition in the rat. The overall goal of this proposal is to complete the preclinical research required for the development and commercialization of a therapeutic vaccine for cocaine addiction.
A therapeutic vaccine against cocaine will be used to treat cocaine addicts. In concert with existing substance abuse programs, this therapy will prevent relapse, thus providing a novel avenue to approach the serious medical and social problem of cocaine abuse.
