The frequency of early-activated hapten-specific B cell subsets predicts the efficacy of vaccines for nicotine dependence.

ABSTRACT: Therapeutic vaccines for nicotine addiction show pre-clinical efficacy. Yet, clinical evaluation of the first-generation nicotine vaccines did not meet expectations because only a subset of immunized subjects achieved effective serum antibody levels. Recent studies suggest that vaccine design affects B cell activation, and that the frequency of the hapten-specific B cell subsets contributes to vaccine efficacy against drugs of abuse. To extend this hypothesis to nicotine immunogens, we synthesized a novel hapten containing a carboxymethylureido group at the 2-position of the nicotine structure (2CMUNic) and compared its efficacy to the previously characterized 6CMUNic hapten. Haptens were conjugated to the keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) carrier protein, and evaluated for efficacy against

SUBMITTER: Laudenbach M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4644437 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature