BLACKSBURG, Va., March 9 -- Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University issued the following news release:
Virginia Tech researchers are advancing a new generation of vaccines designed to block opioids from reaching the brain and triggering their addictive effects, work that could help prevent overdose deaths that now exceed 100,000 each year in the United States.
In a new study published in theJournal of Controlled Release, the researchers report that a novel hybrid lipid-polymer nanoparticle vaccine produced stronger immune responses and improved protection against oxycodone in mice. They also found that pairing a similar fentanyl-targeting vaccine with an immune-boosting adjuvant restored its effectiveness, offering a blueprint...