SCIENCE: Nanoparticle Vaccine Could Stop Nicotine from Reaching the Brain. “While nicotine is not a virus, Langer and his colleagues believe it can be targeted in the same way a virus is targeted. Selecta uses synthetic nanoparticles to prompt the immune system into creating specialized antibodies that bind to nicotine molecules, making the nicotine molecules large enough to initiate an immune response. Antibodies instigated by the nanoparticles automatically attach to the surface of the modified nicotine molecule because their shape fits exactly. The resulting supersized nicotine compound is thereby prevented from crossing the blood-brain barrier and delivering the normal smoking kick.”