An experimental chewing gum that "traps" particles of Sars-CoV-2 (the virus that causes Covid-19) in saliva promises to curb the transmission of new variants of the virus, according to recent data, as researchers prepare to launch the first human trial.The gum contains copies of the ACE2 protein found on the surface of cells, which the coronavirus uses to invade and infect cells.In test-tube experiments that used saliva from individuals infected with either the Delta or Omicron variants, the virus particles attached themselves to ACE2 receptors on the chewing gum, and the viral load dropped to undetectable levels, researchers report in the journal Biomaterials.In the clinical trial, Covid-19 patients will chew four ACE2 gum tablets a day for four days.The ACE2 proteins from the "viral trap" in the gum are transported inside engineered lettuce cells.A second experimental chewing gum made with bean powder instead of lettuce cells has not only captured Sars-CoV-2 particles in lab experiments, but also strains of influenza (the flu-causing virus), other coronaviruses that cause common colds. and potentially other oral viruses such as human papillomavirus and herpesvirus, according to the article."As nasal transmission is negligible when compared to oral transmission, chewing ACE2 gum and swallowing ACE2 protein should minimize infection, protect Covid-19 patients and prevent transmission," said research leader Henry Daniell of the Faculty of Medicine. Dentistry at the University of Pennsylvania.