Chilean scientists said they are developing an alcoholism vaccine that will be tested in humans next year. It will work to neutralize an enzyme that metabolizes alcohol
A group of enzymes that metabolize alcohol called aldehyde dehydrogenases are responsible for alcohol tolerance. 20 percent of the Asian population does not possess this enzyme and their reaction to alcohol is so sharply negative that it prevents the development of alcoholism.
The vaccine will be a similar remedy, it will reduce the tolerance of alcohol, which after vaccination will cause vomiting, tachycardia, and nervousness. With the vaccine, the very desire to drink alcohol will decrease.
The vaccine has already been successfully tested on rats previously brought to alcohol dependence. The idea behind the drug is a 90 percent reduction in alcohol consumption in humans. The study authors compare it to a nicotine patch for smokers.
This year, scientists will conduct massive animal trials and determine the dosage required for the vaccine to work effectively in humans.
In the same year, the Americans announced. that discovered the CYP2EI gene, which is responsible for the human reaction to alcohol. American scientists, in turn, are trying to develop a property that blocks the effect of a gene on the body. A similar remedy is also used as a cure for alcoholism in already drunk people. This drug is called KOLME. Its principle of action is exactly the same - blocking the production of alcohol dehydrogenase.