Bioengineered chewing gum targets oral HPV, cancer risk
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Dental Medicine have bioengineered a chewing gum containing FRIL, an antiviral protein from the hyacinth bean, that can neutralize at least five oral viruses including HPV; in saliva samples it reduced the virus by about 93%. The gum is intended as an adjunct therapy alongside standard cancer treatments, with a four-week clinical trial planned in which patients chew the gum three times daily; if successful, it could become a low-cost, over-the-counter option after FDA approval.