Researchers Develop Chewing Gum To Reduce SARS-CoV-2 Transmission

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

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 6th Dec, 2021 ) :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 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, said the study published in the 'Molecular Therapy Journal'.

"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, Medical Daily reported.

Prior to the pandemic, Daniell had been studying the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) protein in the context of treating hypertension. His lab had grown this protein, as well as many others that may have therapeutic potential, using a patented plant-based production system. By bombarding plant material with the DNA of target proteins, they coaxed plant chloroplasts to take up the DNA and begin growing the proteins. The plant material, freeze-dried and ground-up, could be used as a means of delivering the protein. This system has the potential to avoid the usual obstacles to protein drug synthesis: namely, an expensive production and purification process.

Daniell's past work on ACE2 proved fortuitous in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The receptor for ACE2 on human cells also happened to bind the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. Other research groups had shown that injections of ACE2 could reduce viral load in people with severe infections.

Though the research is still in the early stages of development, if the clinical trials prove that the gum is safe and effective, it could be given to patients whose infection status is unknown or even for dental check-ups when masks must be removed, to reduce the likelihood of passing the virus to caregivers.