A recent study examines the effectiveness of a novel taste-based sensor for the early detection of influenza infection.
Study
The researchers of the current study designed two novel sensors and evaluated their efficacy in detecting the early phases of influenza infection through taste. Whereas the unmethylated reference sensor was designed by linking thymol (O-glycosidically) to unmodified N-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac), thymol was O-glycosidically linked to 4,7-di-O-methyl-N-acetylneuraminic acid in the other sensor.
Within these sensors, thymol is in a protected state that prevents its release unless exposed to the viral neuraminidase, which leads to cleavage of the glycosidic bond that the user perceives as a taste signal. To ensure diagnostic accuracy, both sensors were tested against H1N1 neuraminidase and bacterial neuraminidase isolated from Micromonospora viridifaciens.
Results
To clinically define neuraminidase levels, saliva samples were collected from hospitalized, PCR-positive influenza patients during both the 2017/2018 and 2022/2023 influenza seasons. Neuraminidase activity did not differ significantly between the seasons.
Neuraminidase levels within the range of 5-10 mU/mL were estimated in sensor analyses. The results of commercially available assays based on the unmethylated neuraminic acid backbone at positions O4 and O7 were similar to those of the unmethylated reference sensor.
The recombinant influenza neuraminidase efficiently cleaved the unmethylated sensor when thymol was released, thus reflecting its specificity. These findings demonstrate that α-glycosidic coupling of the reporter moiety is essential for both enzymatic recognition and signal generation.
Chemical modification of the N-acetylneuraminic acid scaffold enabled selective cleaving by the viral neuraminidase without reacting to the bacterial form of this enzyme. These observations persisted, even at enzyme concentrations equivalent to those detected in the saliva of influenza-positive patients.
The study further demonstrated that the modified (methylated) α-sensor responded selectively to viral neuraminidase within 30 minutes, while remaining stable in the presence of bacterial neuraminidase and in unspiked human saliva.
While the study showed enzyme-specific detection in saliva samples, it did not include in vivo testing to confirm that individuals could perceive the taste signal themselves. The authors emphasize that future studies must validate this sensory detection in clinical settings.
Conclusion
The researchers developed a novel taste-based sensor to detect influenza infection at an early stage, which has the potential to distinguish between healthy individuals and those who are asymptomatic but recently infected. However, the current findings are based on biochemical and saliva-sample analyses rather than direct human testing.
Despite these observations, additional clinical studies are needed to validate the sensitivity of this sensor before its clinical use. If validated, the approach could provide an accessible, low-cost screening method for rapid first-line influenza detection.
Source:
https://www.news-medical.net/news/20251008/Taste-based-flu-test-that-detects-infection-within-minutes.aspx