While the Huffington Post reported yesterday that Super Bowl Sunday is the second-largest food consumption day of the year after Thanksgiving, (via a report from the Calorie Control Council), it is also a day where many people consume alcohol. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Super Bowl Sunday is one of the more dangerous days to be on the road due to the large number of people who consume alcoholic beverages at parties and then drive home after the game. Fittingly, this comes on the foot of a team of scientists who are set to begin preclinical trials for the world's first alcoholism vaccine in February.
The vaccine works in such a way that it delivers somewhat of an instant hangover if the patient takes even one sip of alcohol, the Santiago Times reports. When injected, the vaccine would work by sending a message to the liver to keep it from materializing the genes that metabolize alcohol, which in turn produces symptoms very similar to those of a hangover. The vaccine, which is delivered in a single injection, is expected to remain active in a patient's system for at least six months.
Dr. Juan Asenjo, director of the university's Institute for Cell Dynamics and Biotechnology, thinks the chances that this vaccine will work are quite high. He further told the Santiago Times, "If it works, it's going to have a worldwide impact, but with many vaccines one has to test them carefully." Researchers will first test the vaccine on mice and then move to human trials in November.
Comments