An experimental chewing gum could reduce the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, according to a recent study published in the journal Molecular Therapy.

The researchers produced a gum containing high levels of ACE2 proteins, produced in plants, with the idea being that the ACE2 proteins in the chewing gum could "trap" virus particles in the mouth, minimizing the opportunity they have to infect our cells and spread to other people.

They found the treated saliva had significantly reduced numbers of SARS-CoV-2 virus particles compared to those treated with a placebo (the same gum but without the ACE2 protein).

The researchers also demonstrated that the gum prevented a pseudotyped virus (a harmless virus with the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein on its surface) from infecting cells in the lab.

This suggests the ACE2 gum severely hinders the ability of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein to infect cells.

While the method they used, virus pseudotyping, is a tried and tested scientific method to assess virus entry into cells, it would be interesting to see how the gum affects the full SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Regardless of the variant and its mutations, SARS-CoV-2 gains entry into human cells by latching on to ACE2 proteins – which is key to how the gum works.