Health Researcher Looking For Smokers For Nationwide Study

FARMINGTON — More than three million Americans stop smoking each year, but because of the addictive nature of nicotine, most have a hard time kicking the habit for good. 

Helping smokers end their addiction is the goal of an investigational vaccine being studied at the UConn Health Center. NicVAX, manufactured by Nabi Biopharmaceuticals, is an investigational vaccine against nicotine.

Here’s how it works: When you smoke a cigarette, nicotine enters your blood and spreads throughout your body. In the brain, nicotine attaches to receptors, releasing chemicals that cause the addiction.

“Nicotine is very small and therefore the body can not make antibodies against it on its own,” explained Dr Cheryl Oncken, an associate professor of medicine and the principal investigator in the clinical study. “However, when nicotine is attached to a large protein that stimulates an immune response, your body is able to ‘see’ nicotine and make antibodies against it.” 

According to the manufacturer, when you are injected with NicVAX, your body makes antibodies to nicotine.  With each additional shot, your body gradually makes even more antibodies.

“So when you smoke and nicotine gets into your blood, the antibodies you now have in your blood will bind to the nicotine, making a larger molecule,” said Dr Oncken. “This molecule is too large to enter into the brain, so it’s thought that preventing the nicotine from entering the brain may break the addiction. 

“The goal of the vaccine is to generate antibodies to nicotine that will gradually reduce the amount of nicotine your brain sees over time, making it easier for a person to quit smoking,” added Dr Oncken.

Dr Oncken and her team of researchers are looking for participants to take part in the nationwide research study. They must be smokers who are between 18 and 65 years of age. They must smoke at least ten cigarettes a day, have a desire to quit smoking, and be in general good health.

Participants in the research study will be required to receive injections of either NicVAX or a placebo vaccine (neither you nor your study doc will know which injection you will receive) and to also take part in counseling sessions. 

All visits and study drug (active vaccine or inactive placebo) are free of charge, and volunteers will be involved in the study for one year. After an initial screening visit, subjects will visit the health center every two to four weeks throughout the study.

For more information on this stop-smoking research program, call the smoking cessation staff at the University of Connecticut Health Center at 860-679-3136 or go to clinicaltrials.gov.