Anti-drug vaccines are promising as an alternative or complementary approach to treating substance use disorders (SUD) and preventing overdose. We are investigating a novel, haptenated poly(ethylene glycol) (hap-PEG) conjugate vaccine strategy that offers simple tuning of hapten density and valency through varying molecular weights and copolymerization. A PEG derivative, poly(allyl glycidyl ether) (PAGE) was synthesized at numerous molecular weights using a Lewis pair catalyst consisting of triethyl amine and trimethyl aluminum (NAl catalyst) in the presence of an aluminum initiator. To mimic traditional hapten-protein conjugation strategies, an N-hydroxysuccinimide ester (NHS) dimethyl aluminum initiator was synthesized and used to polymerize PAGE with an NHS end group allowing for conjugation to tetanus toxoid (TT) through carbodiimide crosslinking. PAGE can be modified via thiol-ene click chemistry with a smaller, structural analog to heroin (tropinone) to form a hap-PEG with tropinone moieties. <i>In vivo</i> studies can be performed to determine vaccine efficacy in relation to hapten density and valency (n). Specifically, after injection of hap-PEG conjugate vaccines in mice, we will evaluate IgG antibody titers over time with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) and attenuation of drug induced behaviors.

Hapten polyethers for anti-addiction vaccine

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ACS Fall 2022

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