A Novel Adenovirus-based Vaccine for the Treatment of Fentanyl Addiction

Principal Investigator: 

Ronald G Crystal, Professor and Chair of Genetic Medicine

Background & Unmet Need

  • Fentanyl is a highly addictive synthetic mu-opioid receptor agonist with a significant risk for lethal overdose
  • Fentanyl is relatively simple to manufacture and often added to other addictive drugs (unbeknownst to the user), with fatal consequences
  • The rate of fentanyl-related lethal overdoses has continued to rise in the United States and has reached as high as over 6,000 a month
  • Naloxone is effective at reversing opioid overdose if promptly administered, but is not an effective treatment for opioid use disorder
  • Buprenorphine-containing therapies SUBOXONE® and SUBLOCADE® are helpful tools for treating opioid dependence, but require either daily or monthly dosing, respectively
  • Unmet Need: Long-acting therapy for durable treatment of opioid dependence

Technology Overview

  • The Technology: Cornell inventors have devised an adenovirus-based vaccine conjugated with fentanyl analogs which causes the immune system to recognize and respond to fentanyl
  • Adenoviruses are highly immunogenic, and coupling a small molecule to adenovirus capsid proteins results in a vaccine that induces an immune response to the presence of that molecule
  • The antibodies generated in response to fentanyl sequester it in the blood and stop it from reaching the brain, preventing a lethal overdose
  • PoC Data: Administration of the adenovirus-based vaccine conjugated with a fentanyl analog (dAd5-CF) resulted in high-titer levels of anti-fentanyl antibodies in mice within two weeks
  • The anti-fentanyl vaccine dAd5-CF sequestered injected fentanyl within peripheral plasma and prevented fentanyl from reaching the brain, blocking the addictive effects of fentanyl

Technology Applications

  • Prophylactic administration of an anti-fentanyl vaccine may prevent fatal overdoses resulting from inadvertent exposure to fentanyl and fentanyl analogs
  • The anti-fentanyl vaccine can also be used to block the addictive and rewarding effects of fentanyl administration, for the treatment of opioid dependence

Technology Advantages

  • The prophylactic vaccine provides long-lasting protection against the harmful effects of fentanyl within weeks
  • Anti-fentanyl vaccine also prevents the addictive effects of fentanyl at doses insufficient to cause an overdose

Vaccine based on Carfentanil (dAd5-CF) mediates production of anti-fentanyl antibodies in mice.

Intellectual Property

Patents

Cornell Reference

  • 9885

Contact Information

Brian Kelly, Ph.D.

For additional information please contact

Brian Kelly
Director, Business Development and Licensing
Phone: (646) 962-7041
Email: bjk44@cornell.edu