NFL-Biosciences will use the CEA’s molecular imaging resources to better understand the mechanism of action of NFL 101. NFL-101 derives from a subcutaneous desensitization treatment which had been developed by the Institut Pasteur against allergies to tobacco among tobacco factory workers. Used without prescription by a French doctor on more than 10,000 smokers, the repositioned Institut Pasteur extract had shown promising results which were supported by a retrospective study. NFL-101 is a standardized version for pharmaceutical use.
The study will be conducted by the CEA’s Pharmacological Neuroimaging team. It will consist of following, by positron emission tomographic (PET) imaging, the changes in brain function associated with the development of tobacco dependence in mice in order to highlight the central effects of NFL-101 treatment in this context. The planned duration of this study is 9 months.
Bruno Lafont, Deputy CEO and co-founder of NFL Biosciences: “This research work is intended to better understand how NFL-101 can act on tobacco dependence when in clinical practice it is only administered once or twice times and that the current treatments must be daily for 3 months, with even in the case of varenicline (Champix®, Chantix®) three then two doses per day”.