Nanotech Shots Take Mice from Drunk to Sober in Minutes

Ever curse the fact that you have to wait hours to sober up after a night at the bar? Now, you can sober up almost instantly  – that is, if you're a mouse. Researchers at MIT have created an injection of alcohol-digesting enzymes in nanoscale "pills" that can quickly reduce the blood alcohol of mice.

Until now, scientists have struggled with using enzymes as medicine, since it's difficult to create stable versions with a controlled size and arrangement. Enzymes are a type of protein that act as a catalyst to specific biological processes. In biological washing powder, for example, enzymes are used to catalyse (speed up) the breakdown of fats and proteins, letting us wash our clothes at lower temperatures and still sustain good results.

This effective new method of delivering enzymes might someday lead to medicines that could take humans from drunk to sober within a matter of minutes. Perhaps bars might offer these injections as a complimentary service to patrons. Whether it will cure a hangover remains to be seen.

For the full research report click here.