A New Vaccine Design Utilized to Target the “Zombie Drug” Xylazine

by Deeksha Kemthur / June 9, 2024

Xylazine, or the “Zombie Drug,” is an FDA-approved sedative for animals. However, recently, it has been illicitly used in combination with other opioids, such as fentanyl and cocaine, leading to a high rate of overdose. Xylazine also is resistant to naloxone, a drug commonly used to reverse the effects of opioids. The rapid rise in overdose fatalities resulted in the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy officially declaring the combination of fentanyl and xylazine a national threat.

Xylazine has varying, dangerous effects on the human body. It targets the respiratory and central nervous system in a way that leads to the impact of other opioids to be amplified. It continues to affect the body by reducing blood flow to the brain, therefore allowing xylazine to sustain its impact on the individual’s body. It’s deemed the “Zombie Drug” due to the skin wounds, often on the lower part of the body, that an individual gets, which could possibly lead to amputation. 

Typical drug molecules used to target opioids fail in the face of xylazine because they are too small. To target this issue, chemical biologists at Scripps Research, specifically Kim D. Janda, PhD, found a new way to target xylazine, using a carrier molecule and an adjuvant to carry the hapten drug molecule. 

The drug molecule, xylazine hapten, was tested in combination with various proteins on mice to test efficiency in movement and breathing. Based on the protein involved, 3 vaccines were created, deemed  TT, KLH, and CRM197. All held promise in targeting xylazine; TT increased the activity of the mice, while KLH and CRM197 improved their breathing. In addition, TT and KLH target a fallacy of antibodies, which can’t pass the blood-brain barrier(BBB) and stop the binding of xylazine, limiting the drastic impact of binding to receptors on the brain. 

A provisional patient has been set for testing, and the researchers plan to further their research to have more expansive effects on a wider range of drugs. They specifically want to target the simultaneous effects of fentanyl in combination with xylazine. 

Janda reasserts their promise to aid the opioid epidemic, stating, “We believe our research efforts and the data we have provided will pave the way for an effective treatment in humans” (Scripps Research Institute, 2024). 

Citations: 

Institute, S. R. (2024, May 25). Scripps scientists pioneer vaccine to Combat Deadly “Zombie drug” xylazine. SciTechDaily. https://scitechdaily.com/scripps-scientists-pioneer-vaccine-to-combat-deadly-zombie-drug-xylazine/