Posted on 11/23/21
| News Source: The Sun
Scientists think they have found a novel way for people to protect themselves against Covid.
An experimental chewing gum could act as a “net” to trap coronavirus particles.
A study found this gum could limit the amount of virus in saliva and help stop transmission when infected people talk, breath or cough.
The special gum has copies of the ACE2 protein, which is found on cell surfaces.
The virus uses as a way to break into the cells and then infect them.
But in experiments, virus particles attached themselves to the ACE2 in the chewing gum, resulting in viral load in samples falling by more than 95 per cent.
The research team from the University of Pennsylvania reported in Molecular Therapy the gum feels and tastes like conventional chewing gum.
It can be stored for years at normal temperatures, and chewing it does not damage the ACE2 protein molecules, the researchers said.
Using gum to reduce viral loads in saliva , they suggest, would add to the benefit of vaccines and would be particularly useful in countries where vaccines are not yet available or affordable.
The gum is not available yet for general use, but is a promising step in limiting spread in infected people