Researchers of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have discovered a bacterial enzyme that will aid people to quit smoking, reported Apex Tribune.

The study was published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. The study was named, "A new strategy for smoking cessation: Characterization of a bacterial enzyme for the degradation of nicotine."

According to Science Daily, Kim Janda, the Ely R. Callaway Jr. Professor of Chemistry and member of the Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology at TSRI, said, "Our research is in the early phase of drug development process, but the study tells us the enzyme has the right properties to eventually become a successful therapeutic."

The enzyme, Pseudomonas putida, reportedly eats the nicotine before it travels to the brain. It is obtained from the soil in tobacco fields.

Professor Kim Janda of the Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology reveals that the enzyme has got the properties that have the potential to be turned into a medical treatment.

According to science Daily, Song Xue, a TSRI graduate student and first author of the new study, said, "The enzyme is also relatively stable in serum, which is important for a therapeutic candidate. Hopefully we can improve its serum stability with our future studies so that a single injection may last up to a month.

The enzyme was stable for over three weeks at normal temperatures of 98 degrees Fahrenheit, which will not only make research easier but also the actual development of the future drug under conditions which are not so harsh.