Chilean researchers are developing a vaccine against alcoholism that could be tested on humans starting next year and works by neutralizing an enzyme that metabolizes alcohol.

The genetic therapy is based on aldehyde dehydrogenase, a group of enzymes that metabolize alcohol and are thus responsible for alcohol tolerance, said Juan Asenjo, who heads a team of researchers at Chile’s Faculty of Sciences and Mathematics and the private lab Recalcine.

About 20 percent of the Asian population lacks this enzyme and thus experience “such a strong reaction that it discourages consumption,” he added.

The vaccine would similarly increase unease, nausea and tachycardia (accelerated heart beat).

“With the vaccine, the desire to consume alcohol will be greatly reduced thanks to these reactions,” Asenjo told Radio Cooperativa.

Researchers have already successfully tested the vaccine on rats who were dependent on alcohol, and got them to halve their consumption.

“The idea is to have 90-95 percent reduction of consumption for humans,” Asenjo said.

It would work like patches or pills that help smokers kick the habit, but with better efficiency by specifically targeting liver cells and avoiding collateral effects on all cells.

This year, researchers plan to focus on mass production of virus cells and conduct tests on animals to determine proper dosage before launching human tests in 2012.

In October, US researchers announced they had discovered a gene variation known as CYP2EI that can protect against alcoholism and could lead to a preventative treatment.