Vaccine to block oxycodone and heroin effects
Phase 1a/1b Clinical Trials of Multivalent Opioid Vaccine Components
Vaccines are being developed to help people with opioid use disorder by training the immune system to bind oxycodone or heroin so these drugs have less effect.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | New York State Psychiatric Institute Dba Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene, INC NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-10818604 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would receive vaccine injections designed to teach your immune system to make antibodies that bind oxycodone or heroin and keep those drugs from reaching the brain. The first phase delivers the oxycodone vaccine to small groups to check safety, whether antibodies form, and early signs it might reduce drug effects. If the oxycodone vaccine is safe and shows promise, the later phase will test a separate heroin/morphine vaccine in a similar way. The eventual aim is a combined vaccine that targets multiple opioids to help lower relapse risk.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults with opioid use disorder who currently use or have used oxycodone or heroin and are willing to receive injections and attend follow-up visits would be the best candidates.
Not a fit: People who do not use oxycodone or heroin, who rely on non-opioid drugs, or who have medical conditions or allergies that prevent vaccination may not receive benefit.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the vaccines could reduce the rewarding effects of oxycodone and heroin and help lower the chance of relapse for people with opioid use disorder.
How similar studies have performed: Similar vaccine approaches have shown promising results in animal studies and are only beginning to be tested in early human trials, so the approach is encouraging but still experimental.
Where this research is happening
New York, United States
- New York State Psychiatric Institute Dba Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene, INC — New York, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Comer, Sandra D. — New York State Psychiatric Institute Dba Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene, INC
- Study coordinator: Comer, Sandra D.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.