Bioengineered Gum Targets Cancer-Linked Oral Microbes

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania developed a bioengineered chewing gum based on lablab bean gum that carries antiviral FRIL and antimicrobial protegrin. In ex vivo studies with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma patients, the gum extracts reduced cancer-associated microbes—HPV by up to 93% in saliva and 80% in oral rinse—and, with protegrin, brought the harmful bacteria Porphyromonas gingivalis and Fusobacterium nucleatum close to zero while preserving beneficial oral bacteria. The findings suggest a low-cost, accessible adjuvant or preventive therapy that could complement existing treatments or help prevent infection and transmission to curb oral cancer progression, with results published in Scientific Reports.