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Bananas will help develop a cure for AIDS
Last reviewed: 02.07.2025
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At the University of Michigan, a team of specialists has found a unique remedy that will help treat many infections, including the hepatitis virus and HIV. The new drug is based on a regular banana, and specialists assume that the new medicine will be widely used in antiretroviral therapy, and will also help protect people from the most dangerous diseases.
The drug is based on lectin, a protein found in bananas. This protein was first identified several years ago, and today many experts consider it the basis for AIDS medications. Previously, drugs based on lectin caused severe side effects, but the new version of the protein, according to American scientists, will not only help reduce the number of unwanted reactions in the body, but also effectively fight viruses.
The new version of the protein (BanLec) attaches to sugar molecules present on the surface of the most dangerous viruses and renders them harmless, making them easier for the human immune system to deal with.
The scientists conducted experiments on laboratory rodents and the improved BanLec protein was able to stop the spread of the flu virus without causing severe reactions in the body. In addition, the protein was tested on tissue and blood samples, and the results exceeded all expectations - BanLec destroyed the hepatitis and HIV viruses. According to scientists, the protein is also able to cope with the Ebola virus, since the molecules of this virus also contain sugar, which BanLec reacts to.
Experts noted that BanLec is a modified version of a compound found in bananas, so eating bananas will not have the same positive effect on human health and will not protect a person from the flu, much less AIDS.
AIDS is currently one of the most common diseases for which there is no cure. But in Texas, they have developed a method that will help significantly simplify diagnostics, especially in resource-poor areas. In remote areas, it is quite difficult to control the number of white blood cells in the body, which are responsible for the immune response, and specialists have modified a printing device that prints blood cells. Blood is taken from the patient, which is then mixed with magnetic beads and placed in the printing device. The printer prints not vertically, as usual, but horizontally, in addition, a magnetized slide is used for printing instead of a regular sheet of paper. White blood cells are attracted to the slide, the remaining cells (the number of which does not matter in this diagnosis) flow into a container that is attached below. Using a microscope, specialists examine the slide and count the number of white cells in the blood sample, and then a standard mathematical equation is used to calculate the total number of cells in the body. The entire procedure takes about 15-20 minutes. Monitoring the number of white blood cells is necessary to determine the viral load in the body, this test is extremely important for patients with HIV.
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