*An engineered virus. Well, one wonders why a scheme like this took this long. Will it work? Depends on what "work" means in these grim conditions, I guess.
(...)
Eric Peterson, associate professor of pharmacology and toxicology, and his colleagues have packaged a gene that codes for an anti-meth antibody into an engineered virus. When injected, the therapy makes the body generate antibodies against meth. The antibodies bind to and trap methamphetamine molecules that are circulating in the bloodstream, preventing them from traveling to the brain and triggering pleasurable feelings. In mice, researchers showed that the therapy lasted for over eight months, reducing the amount of meth in the brain and the stimulant effects caused by the drug.
The hope, Peterson says, is that a drug based on the approach could be used with behavior therapies to treat people addicted to meth. If people tried to use meth after they had received the gene therapy, they wouldn’t feel the high they expected....
