Overview

• Coating dental floss with vaccine antigens exploits the permeable junctional epithelium to trigger both mucosal and systemic immune responses.
• In mice, floss-based delivery elicited robust antibodies and provided flu protection using protein, inactivated virus and mRNA formulations.
• A study of 27 volunteers using dye-coated floss picks achieved approximately 60% deposition in the gingival sulcus, demonstrating practical human application.
• This needle-free approach avoids potential risks of intranasal vaccines and could simplify storage and self-administration, including mail distribution.
• Researchers at Texas Tech, NC State and Emory, supported by NIH grants and a pending patent, are preparing clinical trials to assess safety and efficacy.