Overview

• Researchers reported in ACS Central Science that they built a taste-based influenza sensor and demonstrated its function in laboratory studies.
• The design links thymol, the compound behind thyme’s flavor, to a synthetic substrate that influenza’s neuraminidase cleaves, freeing a taste detectable by the tongue.
• In vitro tests using saliva from confirmed flu patients generated a thyme flavor within about 30 minutes, and separate assays found no changes in human or mouse cell function.
• The team plans to embed the sensor in gum or lozenges as a low-cost first-line screen to catch early infections, pending clinical validation and regulatory review.
• The authors registered a European Patent Office filing and say the chemistry favors viral over bacterial neuraminidase to reduce false positives, as regulators continue to scrutinize at-home diagnostics.