New 'Nicotine Vaccine' Treatment To Be Tested

The treatment is designed to gradually reduce the amount of nicotine that gets to the brain, making cigarettes less addictive. The University of Wisconsin-Madison's Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention (UW-CTRI) in the School of Medicine and Public Health is recruiting approximately 40 current smokers to volunteer for this research study. Smokers who volunteer and qualify for this study will receive quit-smoking counseling and may receive medication at no cost.

Likely participants are daily smokers at least 18 years of age, in good health and willing to follow the treatment procedures. Participants in the study will be asked to make up to 24 clinic visits during a year.

"We are pleased to have been selected to test an experimental nicotine vaccine - a potentially important advance in treating tobacco addiction," says Michael Fiore, UW-CTRI director. "In this study, we will examine how the vaccine can help smokers break free of their dependence on tobacco - by reducing the effects of nicotine on the brain."

Participants will also receive payment to cover the time and transportation and/or parking for the clinic visits. Individuals who would like to volunteer for the study should call (877) END-CIGS or visit http://www.endcigs.com.

Every year 300,000 Wisconsin residents try to quit smoking. Most try to quit "cold turkey." Only one in 20 succeed. Most smokers make several quit attempts before they successfully quit.

Tobacco use is the No. 1 cause of preventable disease and death in America. More than 400,000 Americans and more than 7,000 Wisconsin residents die each year of illnesses caused by smoking. More than 70 percent of current adult smokers have stated that they want to quit smoking.

The Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention has provided cessation and prevention services in Wisconsin since 1992 and is a nationally recognized research center.