Thought of the Day - December 16 2021 - Keeping the Public Distracted

You can't make this up. Rather than spend money on research that could prove to the public that Vitamin-D, Zinc, Invemectin, nasal spray vaccination and a host of other therapeutics could save lives, this is what is being funded in the US to distract the public. Here is an excerpt from a recent CBS article.

Penn Researchers Use Lettuce To Develop Chewing Gum That Could Slow COVID Transmission

Could specially-treated chewing gum help fight COVID-19? Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania say yes, and they’re submitting their findings to the FDA. Researchers at Penn have developed a new experimental chewing gum that could slow the transmission of COVID. It works on saliva, which is the main way the virus is spread.

At the core of this research is a common vegetable. It might look like ordinary lettuce, but it could one day help fight COVID-19. Daniell is leading a study that uses specially treated lettuce to make a chewing gum that helps prevent the transmission of COVID. Researchers have taken everyday lettuce and infused it with a protein that can neutralize COVID.

Hey, let's hear a little more about that magic protein . . .

“The protein in the gum blocks the entry of the virus into the human cells. We use it for COVID now, but before that, this was developed to treat heart failure and hypertension,” was all that Daniell said. Looking into it a little more it seems the methods for the other two are still in early research basically looking at plant-based options to introduce proteins into the body - nothing about the active ingredient.

Why gum? Because saliva is the main way coronavirus is transmitted. Using saliva samples from COVID patients at Penn, researchers say the gum was able to trap the virus. The Penn team is now preparing to apply for emergency use authorization.

"The gum research is in the early stages and hasn’t been tested on humans yet. But we are pretty excited to get this to the finish line” wait, what . . .

But how does the gum taste? "It’s cinnamon flavoured. No different than any other gum,” Daniell said - highlighting one of the important aspects.

The Penn researchers say they’ve passed the first round of FDA questioning. If they get the emergency use authorization, they can start testing it on people. There’s no timetable yet on when this might be available.

I am not saying this research on a plant-based protein delivery system is not without merit. It just has nothing to do with COVID treatment development. Moreover, with so many other potential COVID treatments it is sad that mainstream media bothers to cover this. I guess both parties are just looking for halo funding.

Cheers

Cliff