Every winter, the flu resurfaces in France, leading to thousands of consultations. As vaccination campaigns restart, German scientists unveil an unexpected idea: using chewing gum to detect the disease, directly from the mouth. The work was published in the journal ACS Central Science.
When language becomes a diagnostic tool
The team led by Professor Lorenz Meinel has developed a molecular sensor capable of releasing a thyme flavor when it comes into contact with the influenza virus. The objective: to make screening simple, quick and accessible to everyone.
“If the next pandemic hits us, we must be ready to immediately screen entire cities, even states or continents.” write the researchers in their article.
“There is an urgent need for a first line of defense that is easy to produce, transport and use. These tools could help quickly identify people at risk of infection, so that they can be isolated. This first step could then be confirmed by more reliable, but also slower and more expensive, tests.”
Currently, it is possible to detect influenza using PCR or antigen tests. Although they remain precise, they remain expensive, time-consuming or uncomfortable. Additionally, a person with the flu can be contagious even before they feel sick.
To fill these gaps, Lorenz Meinel and his team wanted, in their words, to improve the detection of influenza “moving away from detectors and complex machines, and towards a detector available to everyone, everywhere and at any time: language”.
How does this particular chewing gum work?
This concept is based on a key enzyme of the virus: neuraminidase, present on the surface of the pathogen (the famous “N” in H1N1). The researchers designed a specific substrate linked to a molecule of thymol, an aromatic compound naturally present in thyme.
If the virus’s neuraminidase is detected, it releases thymol, triggering a characteristic herbal flavor in the mouth.
This virus sensor works only thanks to the neuraminidase of viruses, and not that of bacteria, in order to avoid possible false positives caused by the individual’s oral microbiota. A specific molecule, 10 mg of which would be enough to produce a quantity of thymol detectable by taste.
A promising and safe chew test
In laboratory experiments, the sensor released free thymol within 30 minutes into saliva samples from people with the flu. Tested on human and mouse cells, the device showed no adverse effects on cellular function.
Researchers are now planning clinical trials on humans within two years, to verify whether taste can actually signal an infection before the first symptoms. They are also considering bitter or colored alternatives, in the event of a reduction or total loss of taste.
If successful, the device could be integrated into chewing gum, lozenges or lollipops. And would transform a daily gesture into a discreet and immediate screening test. As Lorenz Meinel summarizes: “This sensor could be a quick and accessible front-line screening tool to help protect people in high-risk environments.”
The team believes that these applications are especially suitable for sensitive locations such as schools, daycares and retirement homes. They could be essential for controlling epidemics, especially in less favored countries.
Towards a new generation of home screening?
If the results are confirmed, this process could ultimately be extended to other respiratory viruses.
“For other infections, for example, the virus-specific carbohydrate component could be replaced by a bacteria-specific peptide. The underlying functionality would remain unchanged”explains Lorenz Meinel. This method thus opens new perspectives for the early diagnosis of viral and bacterial infections, from influenza to still unknown future pathogens.
A simple bite could then be enough to spot an infection at home, long before you feel the effects.