Value Proposition:
· Elicits production of anti-Fentanyl antibodies
· Leads to long-lasting anti-opioid responses without toxicity
· Exhibits 1000-fold increase in antibody production over conventional drug vaccines
Technology Description
Researchers at Johns Hopkins have developed a polymeric fentanyl vaccine. Upon a primary injection and a booster, the vaccine stimulates production of long-lived, antibody-secreting cells that prevent opiates from entering the brain and other organs. Current studies show that the formulation can induce a 1000-fold increase in anti-fentanyl antibody titer over 90 days as compared to monomeric (conventional) drug vaccines.
Unmet Need
Opioid addictions and overdoses have led to the death of over 80,000 Americans in 2022 and an economic cost of 684.6 billion in 2017 (CDC). Although opioid receptor agonists, such as naloxone and naltrexone, can prevent imminent death from an overdose, the broader issue of opioid addiction remains difficulty to remedy for affected individuals. As such, there is a pressing need for new technologies to treat and/or prevent opioid addiction.
Stage of Development
Researchers have created the vaccine platform and verified its efficacy in animal (murine) models. Further preclinical work and characterization is currently being conducted.
