Researchers reporting in ACS Central Science say that they plan to incorporate this type of low-tech sensor into gum or lozenges to increase at-home screenings and potentially prevent pre-symptomatic transmission of the disease.

Staying home is critical to preventing the spread of infectious diseases like influenza; however, people with the flu are contagious before they develop symptoms. Current flu diagnostics like nasal swab-based PCR tests are accurate, but they are slow and expensive. At-home lateral flow tests, akin to those used to test for COVID-19, are convenient and generally low-cost, but don’t catch pre-symptomatic infections.