Now, a chewing gum to reduce Covid transmission

December 06, 2021 13:58

Travellers queue up to get tested for Covid

A team of researchers has developed a chewing gum that is laced with a plant-grown protein serving as a "trap" for the SARS-CoV-2 virus and could reduce its transmission.

The study has been published in the 'Molecular Therapy Journal'. The work, led by Henry Daniell at Penn's School of Dental Medicine and performed in collaboration with scientists at the Perelman School of Medicine and School of Veterinary Medicine, as well as at The Wistar Institute and Fraunhofer USA, could lead to a low-cost tool in the arsenal against the COVID-19 pandemic.

"SARS-CoV-2 replicates in the salivary glands, and we know that when someone who is infected sneezes, coughs or speaks some of that virus can be expelled and reach others," said Daniell.

"This gum offers an opportunity to neutralize the virus in the saliva, giving us a simple way to possibly cut down on a source of disease transmission," he added.

Vaccinations for COVID-19 have helped change the course of the pandemic but haven't stamped out transmission. Even people who are fully vaccinated can still become infected with SARS-CoV-2 and, according to recent research, can carry a viral load similar to those who are unvaccinated. -- ANI

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