The Scripps Research Institute claimed in an announcement this week that it may have discovered a cure for drug addiction instantly. This possible breakthrough involves a drug called blebbistatin, which was proven to successfully restore animals to full health in early testing.
A study in the body of literature on the blebbistatin compound describes it as "a small molecule inhibitor showing high affinity and selectivity toward myosin II." Researchers found that this substance has the capacity to erase drug-related memories in addicts. Myosin II supposedly targets parts of the brain that store memory and researchers found that the attack can be selective so that the removal of drug-related memories becomes possible while leaving the rest intact. This characteristic not only addresses the problem of addiction itself but also the danger of future relapse for cured addicts.
What further distinguishes this drug from other chemical or drug therapies involving the brain is that it works even when injected into the body's periphery. This is important as drugs that target actin, the protein that provides structure that supports memories, require them to be administered directly into the brain.
"Our results argue for developing small molecule inhibitors of nonmuscle myosin II as potential therapeutics for relapse prevention, and that's exactly what we're doing with our colleagues here at Scripps with expertise in drug development,' a researcher explained in the Daily Mail report. It is still unclear whether the drug was already tested on humans. The team behind the new cure, however, is optimistic about its impact.
"The hope is that, when combined with traditional rehabilitation and abstinence therapies, we can reduce or eliminate relapse for meth users after a single treatment by taking away the power of an individual's triggers," researchers told the Daily Mail.
There are already numerous reports that claim possible solution to drug addiction such as the ibogaine hallucinogen that was expected to obliterate withdrawal symptoms in a BBC report. However, they all are still unsuccessful in truly restoring addicts into full normal lives.
