Engineered chewing gum slashes HPV and harmful bacteria linked to oral cancer

A bioengineered chewing gum developed by University of Pennsylvania researchers cut HPV levels by up to 93% and nearly eliminated two cancer-associated bacteria while sparing beneficial oral microbes.

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Dental Medicine have created a chewing gum that dramatically reduces microbes tied to head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Laboratory tests using patient oral samples demonstrated a 93% decrease in HPV and an 80% decline in viral load in rinse solutions. By incorporating the antimicrobial peptide protegrin, the gum also drove levels of Porphyromonas gingivalis and Fusobacterium nucleatum to near zero after one application.

Unlike radiation, which can harm beneficial oral bacteria, the gum preserved the healthy microbiome. The investigators propose the product could serve as a low-cost adjunct to current therapies or as a prophylactic tool to curb infection and transmission. Findings were published in Scientific Reports and were funded by NIH, the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, and the National Cancer Institute Cancer Center.