Sweetening medical tests with lollipops

A lollipop might be a sweet reward after the doctor’s office, but now, it could be used to make diagnostic testing less invasive and more enjoyable. Researchers publishing in ACS’s Analytical Chemistry have found that a lollipop-based saliva collection system can capture bacteria from adults and remain shelf-stable for up to a year. Participants in the study also preferred the candies over conventional collection systems.

Throat swabs are commonly used to collect samples for the diagnosis of a wide variety of illnesses. Saliva sampling is a less gag-inducing method of doing so, but sometimes gathering the necessary amount of saliva can be unpleasant, which is why scientists are looking to make the process more enjoyable with lollipops.

Sanitta Thongpang, Ashleigh Theberge, Erwin Berthier and colleagues developed a lollipop collection device dubbed CandyCollect. At first glance, it looks like most lollipops, except for its spoon-like stick with a spiral-shaped groove carved into the top. The flattened end is covered with isomalt candy, allowing for saliva to easily flow into the groove as the lollipop is eaten. In a past study, the researchers showed that the device could capture the bacteria responsible for strep throat. Now, they wanted to target other, naturally occurring bacteria and see how their system compared to other commercially available, at-home saliva sampling methods. The researchers sent CandyCollect and two conventional saliva sampling kits to 28 adult volunteers, who used them, answered some questions and sent them back to the lab. The researchers analysed the samples and found that CandyCollect detected the same bacteria as the conventional methods. The candies were also the most popular method of the three among participants. The devices also produced accurate results even after being stored for a year.

Although studies are ongoing, the researchers see potential in the system and hope it will inspire other scientists to create more intuitive and convenient at-home testing methods.

Image credit: Adapted from Analytical Chemistry, 2023, DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.3c00462