A gene therapy that causes unpleasant side effects is seen as a novel cure for alcoholism. While the current fight in America is against opioids, the dangers of alcohol are no less. It is one of the most addictive substances and according to researchers, accountable for 5.9 percent of all deaths. Costing America no less than $250 billion in terms of person-hours, productivity and health care, alcoholism is an evil no less than opioids. The study pointed out that though medications such as naltrexone, disulfiram, and acamprosate are legally approved to treat alcoholism, they are not very popular because of their side effects. Most patients are reluctant to comply. Therefore, there is an inherent need for new cures. Anamaria C. Sanchez from the University of Chile, Santiago, conducted the research along with R. Jude Samulski, from the University of North Carolina, which got published in the journal Human Gene Therapy in June 2017. Read more