Researchers say they have created a powerful new substance that can break down and metabolize cocaine 2,000 times faster than a natural blood protein, Medical News Today reported Sept. 15.

Chang-Guo Zhan and colleagues at the University of Kentucky focused their research on substances that mimic the blood protein butyrylcholinesterase (BChE). There is no current medication for cocaine abuse, and BChE is too weak to be an effective medication in its natural state. However, the more potent and stable substance appears to reduce levels of cocaine in the bloodstream and holds promise as a potential therapeutic treatment of cocaine overdose and addiction, the researchers said.

The research is scheduled to appear in the Sept. 24, 2008 issue of the Journal of the American Chemical Society.