A form of gene therapy that is already being trialled in patients with Parkinson’s disease might provide a one-off treatment for severe alcohol addiction.
A study in macaque monkeys that were predisposed to heavy drinking found that it dramatically curbed their alcohol consumption. “Drinking went down to almost zero,” said Prof Kathleen Grant, at Oregon Health and Science University’s National Primate Research Centre in Beaverton, US, who co-led the research. “For months on end, these animals would choose to drink water and just avoid drinking alcohol altogether.”
