Chewing gum quietly moonlights as cancer-fighting antimicrobial weapon

University of Pennsylvania researchers developed a bioengineered chewing gum from lablab beans that reduced HPV levels by up to 93% in saliva samples and brought two bacteria linked to head and neck cancer (Porphyromonas gingivalis and Fusobacterium nucleatum) to near-zero in a single dose. Crucially, the gum preserved beneficial oral bacteria, unlike radiation therapy which disrupts the healthy microbiome. The findings, published in Scientific Reports, support advancing the gum to clinical trials as an adjuvant therapy or preventive measure against infection and transmission.