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In this study, the scientists combined a xylazine hapten with multiple different protein types, to see which combination would create a robust immune response against xylazine.

“We believe the shot will lead to desensitization and reduce or eliminate reactions to poison ivy, oak and sumac,” says Ray Hage, CEO of Hapten Sciences, which has licensed the compound.

He and his co-workers have carefully crafted all aspects of their vaccine: hapten, carrier and adjuvant.

It was previously unknown which of the chemical agents into which the drug breaks down in the body was responsible for its mind-altering effects, but Janda and colleagues were able to identify the active molecules by using different hapten molecules to raise antibodies in mice – in effect vaccinating them against each of the possible candidate chemicals in turn.

As with any vaccine, the general idea is to administer a chemical, called a hapten, that, when carried by a larger molecule such as a protein, stimulates the body’s immune system to produce antibodies: protein molecules that recognise and stick to the hapten.