Peihua Jiang knows how difficult it can be to convince a child to take a sip of a bitter liquid medication. When they were young, his kids sometimes balked at taking medicines because they didn’t like how they tasted. And as a neurobiologist, Jiang knew the medical issues at stake went beyond a minor inconvenience.
Swallowing pills can be difficult for many young children and elderly people. Liquid medications are easier to consume, but their taste is often so off-putting that some patients will avoid them entirely — a significant barrier to good health for those who need to take lifesaving medications. “My kids would refuse to take medicine when they were young,” he said, laughing.
“It’s evolution; it makes perfect sense. A bitter taste is a sign you’re not supposed to eat something. But with medicine, it’s a different story.
” That’s why Jiang and his colleagues at Philadelphia’s Monell Chemical Senses Center, have spent years taking on what they describe as one of the most enduring challenges in medicine ― finding a “bitter blocker” substance that can prevent a patient from tasting anything bitter. This month, Jiang and several colleagues announced a breakthrough: They identified a nerve inhibitor in liquid form that temporarily blocks all taste entirely. The center says it’s the first temporary taste blocker that works universally in humans, and a game-changer in a yearslong research journey.
“We are very pumped,” said Carol Christensen, a.