Floss-based vaccine delivers flu antibodies to bone marrow, saliva, and more
In the study, researchers tested the novel technique by applying vaccine components such as proteins and inactivated viruses along the gum lines of mice. The floss-based approach effectively stimulated immunity and protected the rodents from a lethal flu strain.
Flossing mice for science
The team flossed 50 mice every two weeks over a 28-day period. One researcher gently pulled down each mouse's jaw using a keychain ring, while another flossed the gums with vaccine-laced strands.
After four weeks and three flossing sessions, the mice faced a lethal dose of influenza.
All of the vaccinated mice survived. Those that hadn't received the floss-based vaccine died.
Researchers found signs of a systemic immune response in the flossed mice. Flu-fighting antibodies appeared in their feces, saliva, and bone marrow.
That last discovery was key, antibodies in bone marrow suggest long-term immunity.
The vaccinated group also showed elevated T cell levels in their lungs and spleens. T cells help the body destroy virus-infected cells and prevent future infections.
The results suggest this flossing method doesn't just offer local protection in the mouth, but activates a strong immune response throughout the body, something that traditional mucosal vaccines have struggled to achieve.
Testing for human feasibility
To explore whether the technique might work in people, scientists recruited 27 healthy adults. Each participant used dental picks coated in food dye. On average, the dye reached gum tissue in about 60% of flossing attempts.
That level of contact shows potential, though further refinement is needed for consistent delivery.
The gums between teeth are highly permeable, which allows vaccine molecules to pass through more easily than skin or other tissues.
The oral cavity is also a frontline entry point for viruses.
But developing vaccines for the mouth and nose has proven difficult due to the body's natural resistance to foreign agents in these regions.
Floss, however, might offer a way to bypass those defenses.
'These findings establish floss-based vaccination as a simple, needle-free strategy that enhances vaccine delivery and immune activation compared with existing mucosal immunization methods,' wrote the researchers.
Pandemic-ready and needle-free
Beyond effectiveness, this method offers practical advantages. Needle-phobic patients may be more willing to receive vaccines delivered via floss.
The treatment also doesn't require cold-chain storage, which simplifies distribution.
Floss-based vaccines could even be mailed to households during outbreaks, enabling faster, more widespread immunization during pandemics.
While the method is still in early stages, it marks a significant step toward making vaccinations more accessible and less invasive.
With further development, a daily health habit like flossing could double as disease prevention on a global scale.
The study is published in Nature Biomedical Engineering.
Solve the daily Crossword
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Neanderthals ‘loved to eat maggots'
Neanderthals loved eating maggots and were not the total carnivores people often believed they were, a study has found. It has long been believed that Neanderthals, the ancient cousin species of our human ancestors, ate almost nothing but meat in a similar way to lions or wolves. But a study has found this to be incorrect and proves that Neanderthals instead dined largely on maggot-riddled meat. The meat from successful hunts would be stashed and inevitably left to fester but the maggots which took root were also likely a staple of their diet, new analysis has found. Previous studies of Neanderthal remains have shown they had the same chemicals in their bones as hypercarnivore predators, which is indicative of a purely carnivorous diet. This, combined with the knowledge that Neanderthals hunted animals such as mammoths, bison, deer and reindeer, led to the widespread assumption that Neanderthals ate almost nothing but meat. But Dr Melanie Beasley, an anthropologist at Purdue University in Indiana, US, suspected this to be incorrect and studied maggots feasting on human remains to see if they could account for the chemical signature which implies a carnivore diet. Analysis found that when a carcass rots, the muscles themselves become only marginally enriched with the specific form of nitrogen found in Neanderthal remains. But when maggots eat the flesh and themselves are consumed, these can be up to 43 per cent richer in the nitrogen which scientists have previously thought proved carnivore behaviour. 'We suggest that the nitrogen values are inflated, perhaps substantially so, because these dedicated hunters of large mammals would have stored or cached portions of their kills for later use to compensate for unpredictable returns,' the study team wrote. 'Back-up reserves of animal foods, either as packets of processed meat and fat, or as partial or complete carcasses, would have been placed in expedient above-ground rock or log cairns, suspended from tree branches or placed on above-ground racks or stages, immersed in ponds and swamps, or buried in below-ground pits. 'Such reserves, whether fresh, dried, or smoked, readily attracted flies while they were being processed, and, over the use life of the reserve, the contents almost inevitably began to putrefy and become infested with maggots.' This slowly rotting meat which was being devoured by maggots could have been eaten weeks, months, or even years after it was first hunted, the scientists concluded. To gauge what nutrients maggots contained the scientists buried 34 human bodies donated for research at the Body Farm facility of the University of Tennessee. After two years, the maggots were studied and it was found that they were the likely reason for the high nitrogen content in Neanderthal remains that led to the assumption they were almost exclusively carnivores. Another factor in the scientists' conclusion about the Neanderthal diet is that it is impossible for a human body to survive for very long if it is consuming more than 300g of protein a day. Prolonged exposure to a diet beyond this, which is around 1,200 calories of pure protein, can lead to 'rabbit starvation' in which the body begins to shut down. This biological incompatibility with the protein-heavy diet and the maggot nitrogen finding are strong evidence that the Neanderthal was not a hypercarnivore like lions, the scientists say. 'A lion, on average, consumes anywhere from double to four-and-a-half times more protein per kg of body weight than the absolute maximum a Late Pleistocene hominin would be capable of tolerating,' the scientists wrote. The Neanderthal diet was likely to have included tongue, ribs, briskets, entrails, kidneys and other internal organs, and probably also the brain, the scientists believe. 'Fascination' of hypercarnivore image But Dr Beasley believes Neanderthals 'often ate these fat-rich tissues in a tainted or putrefied state together with their almost inevitable infestation of living and dead maggots'. 'It seems very likely that Late Pleistocene hominins would often have found themselves consuming animal foods from tainted or putrefied reserves laced with living and dead maggots,' she told The Telegraph. 'I think for a long time the hypercarnivore narrative about Neanderthals has been wrong but that image adds to their exceptionalism and fascination, so that narrative has persisted. 'Hominins ate meat regularly starting with Homo erectus, but they ate a diversity of other foods too. 'We are just saying that we need to consider those other dietary inputs like the inevitable stored foods laced with fatty maggots that would have been nutritionally beneficial.' The study is published in Science Advances. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
What are your questions about lifestyle changes and cognitive decline?
Healthy habits like eating a nutritious diet and getting regular exercise can protect your brain as you age. Research shows that it may even help after physical signs of cognitive problems begin. What do you want to know about how your lifestyle might affect your risk of cognitive decline, including conditions such as Alzheimer's disease? Share your questions with CNN below.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Obesity to fuel rise in liver cancer cases
The number of cases of liver cancer are set to double by 2050, with rising cases of obesity partly to blame, academics have said. The proportion of cases of liver cancer linked to obesity are set to increase from 5% to 11%, a group of experts has said as they called for more to be done to tackle preventable cases from occurring in the first place. The number of new liver cancers around the world will rise from 0.87 million in 2022 to 1.52 million in 2050, according to projections published as part of a new Lancet Commission on Liver Cancer paper. Researchers said that the proportion of liver cancers caused by the most common cause of liver cancer – the hepatitis B virus – are set to reduce over the coming years. Cases caused by the hepatitis C virus are also expected to decline proportionately. But in contrast, liver cancer cases caused by alcohol and obesity are set to increase. Experts predicted that by 2050 some 21% of liver cancers will be caused by alcohol. And 11% will be caused by a severe form of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) – formerly known as fatty liver disease, where fat builds up in a person's liver. The severe form of this condition is called metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis. The research team point out that 60% of liver cancers are preventable. They said that global deaths from liver cancer are expected to rise from 760,000 in 2022 to 1.37 million in 2050. 'These data suggest that preventive measures targeting a comprehensive number of risk factors for hepatocellular carcinoma are sorely needed,' the team of experts led by academics in Hong Kong wrote. The main treatment for MASLD is eating a balanced diet, being physically active and potentially losing weight. 'Liver cancer is a growing health issue around the world,' said Professor Jian Zhou, chairman of the Commission from Fudan University in China. 'It is one of the most challenging cancers to treat, with five-year survival rates ranging from approximately 5% to 30%. 'We risk seeing close to a doubling of cases and deaths from liver cancer over the next quarter of a century without urgent action to reverse this trend.' First author, Professor Stephen Chan, from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, added: 'As three in five cases of liver cancer are linked to preventable risk factors, mostly viral hepatitis, alcohol and obesity, there is a huge opportunity for countries to target these risk factors, prevent cases of liver cancer and save lives.' Commenting on the study, Pamela Healy, chief executive of the British Liver Trust, said: 'Liver cancer is the fastest rising cause of cancer death in the UK, and just 13% of people diagnosed will survive for five years or more. 'We know that the biggest risk factors are having pre-existing liver cirrhosis or viral hepatitis, and this new analysis highlights that MASLD, also known as fatty liver disease, is expected to be linked to an increasing number of cases. 'As well as improving early detection through surveillance of people with cirrhosis, it is essential that we tackle these underlying causes and prioritise public health. 'By supporting people to maintain a healthy weight, cut down on alcohol and get tested and treated for hepatitis, we can prevent many cases of liver cancer and save lives.' In 2022, some 64% of adults in England were estimated to be overweight or living with obesity.
