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MSU tests anti-smoking vaccine

WKAR Photo.

By Kevin Lavery, WKAR News

http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wkar/local-wkar-903394.mp3

East Lansing, MI – Researchers at Michigan State University will test a new vaccine designed to help people quit smoking.

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MSU is one of 25 sites around the country that will conduct clinical trials of the NicVax vaccine. The treatment is designed to produce antibodies that prevent nicotine from entering the brain and causing the pleasurable sensation associated with smoking.

Scientists say because those antibodies remain in the bloodstream for several months, the vaccine holds promise as a means of preventing relapse.

MSU will recruit 50 volunteers to take part in the study, which involves receiving the vaccine several times over the course of a year. Researchers are looking for smokers between 18 and 65 who smoke at least 10 cigarettes a day.

Preliminary results from the national study are expected in 2012. Pending a successful outcome, the vaccine manufacturer will then seek federal approval.

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