Tobacco.org

UW researchers testing smoking vaccine 

If pills, patches, sprays, inhalers, lozenges or gum haven't helped you stop smoking, maybe some shots can. A UW-Madison study of an experimental nicotine vaccine seeks 60 adult smokers to roll up their sleeves for six injections over six months.

The vaccine, called NicVAX, stimulates the immune system to produce antibodies that bind to nicotine in the bloodstream, according to its developer, Nabi Biopharmaceuticals, of Rockville, Md. That prevents nicotine from traveling to the brain and its pleasure centers, the company says. "We're removing the enjoyable part of smoking," said Doug Jorenby, a researcher at UW's Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention.

The center, which took part in a smaller study of the vaccine in 2006, is among 22 sites around the country planning to enroll 1,000 people in the new study.

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