Scientists Develop Antiviral Chewing Gum

In a shift away from conventional antiviral strategies, researchers have developed a clinical-grade chewing gum that significantly reduces the viral load of common viruses such as influenza and herpes simplex virus (HSV) in the mouth. Formulated using lablab beans—a natural source of a viral-trapping protein called FRIL—this gum offers a non-invasive, shelf-stable method to minimize transmission at its most active site: the oral cavity.

Plant-Based Antiviral Protein Reduces Oral Virus Transmission

Influenza and HSV pose persistent global health challenges. The seasonal flu alone costs the U.S. over $11 billion annually, while HSV-1 infects more than two-thirds of the global population and remains the primary cause of infectious blindness in Western nations.

Vaccination rates remain low for flu strains, and there is no approved vaccine for HSV. The need for an intervention that reduces virus spread, even in the absence of vaccination, has never been more pressing.

Led by Henry Daniell from the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Dental Medicine and collaborating with researchers in Finland, the team published their findings in Molecular Therapy. The researchers targeted viral load reduction at the site of primary transmission.

Since oral transmission of these viruses occurs at far higher rates than nasal routes, the gum’s release mechanism was optimized to deliver the antiviral protein where it matters most.

The gum contains FRIL (Flt3 Receptor Interacting Lectin), a broad-spectrum protein that binds and aggregates virus particles. It has previously shown efficacy in reducing SARS-CoV-2 particles by over 95% in patient saliva samples. Now, the same principle has been applied to two herpes strains (HSV-1 and HSdcxV-2) and two influenza A strains (H1N1 and H3N2), yielding similarly high reductions in viral load.

Using a mastication simulator to mimic chewing, over 50% of FRIL was released within 15 minutes. Researchers tested how well the antiviral protein could block the virus from infecting cells. They found the gum neutralized more than 95% of the viruses using just 40 mg/mL for flu strains, 74 mg/mL for HSV-2, and 160 mg/mL for HSV-1.

Each 2-gram gum tablet contains enough FRIL to exceed these thresholds. With a shelf-life of over two years at room temperature and successful compliance with FDA-grade safety specifications—free of glycosides, bacteria, or mold—the gum is well-positioned for clinical trials and eventual public use.

Clinical-Grade Gum Shows Broad Potential Against Bird Flu and Beyond

Beyond human use, the gum’s key ingredient—lablab bean powder—may hold promise in controlling zoonotic viruses like avian influenza. In the last three months alone, over 54 million birds in North America have been affected by H5N1, with a few human cases emerging. Researchers now aim to test FRIL-infused bean powder in bird feed to help curb viral spread among poultry populations.

Earlier studies have shown the powder’s potential to neutralize both H5N1 and H7N9 strains. This expands the application of FRIL from human oral care to agricultural biosecurity. The use of a food-derived, naturally occurring antiviral agent to block virus transmission—whether through chewing gum for people or feed supplements for birds—represents a scalable, cost-effective intervention.

While vaccines continue to play a vital role in disease prevention, they come with limitations such as distribution challenges, waning immunity, and, in some cases, absence altogether. The antiviral gum, by targeting the virus at its primary point of transmission rather than systemic infection, could serve as a complementary tool—especially in high-risk environments or among unvaccinated populations.

By focusing on practical, stable delivery methods and expanding antiviral strategies beyond injections and pills, the research highlights a new frontier in infection control—one that could make something as simple as chewing gum a routine part of public health.

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