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The “valuable” bacteria in yogurt is Lactococcus lactis (Photo: polyscience) |
A friendly type of bacteria found in yogurt will be used as a raw material in the production of a drug to prevent HIV infection. Laboratory tests have shown this new method to be cost-effective and efficient.
The “valuable” bacteria in yogurt is Lactococcus lactis (L. lactis), which naturally produces lactic acid. It is also present in the intestines and vagina, where lactic acid can inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria.
Dr. Bharat Ramratnam from Brown University in the United States has proposed the innovative idea of modifying the genetic sequence of L. lactis to produce cyanovirin – a compound that helps prevent HIV infection. Experiments on monkeys and human cells have shown very promising results: Cyanovirin produced by L. lactis neutralizes sugar molecules on the HIV virus and blocks a receptor that the virus uses to attack healthy cells. The research team plans to test this technique on living subjects in 2007.
Mỹ Linh (according to Rediff)
