Smokers looking to quit may have a new hope: an antismoking vaccine. The injection has been tested on humans and researchers have described the preliminary results as 'very exciting.'

The vaccine has the name CYT002-NicQb and binds with nicotine antibodies in the blood to prevent nicotine from passing into the brain. It therefore eliminates the desirable nicotine 'high' that smokers desperately crave.

Cytos Biotechnology, a Swiss company, just completed the second phase of testing on human subjects. 341 smokers between the ages of 18 and 70 were tested for four months. Two-thirds of them received the antismoking vaccine and one-third received a placebo.

Subjects developed anti-nicotine antibodies in their blood stream if they were given the vaccine. The researchers divided those results into low, medium and high.

57 percent of those who developed high antibodies stopped smoking entirely during the four month test period. Those in the medium and low categories refrained from smoking in 32 percent of the cases. 31 percent of the subjects receiving placebos refrained from smoking altogether as well.

Dr. Jacques Cornuz, the leader of the study told the 'Los Angeles Times,' 'The data clearly suggest that antibodies against nicotine are effective in helping people quit smoking. This confirms the concept of vaccination' against smoking.

The next stage of testing is expected to increase the strength of the vaccine to see if it could be made more effective. It is not expected to begin for another three years. Still, for those who really want to quit smoking, however, this new study offers hope.