Abu Gatana: A new treatment for immunodeficiency disease
01 September, 2025
PortSudan(Sudanow)-Immunodeficiency, or what is known as AIDS, is a treatable disease, not curable, so the longer the patient is under treatment, the better his condition improves, and if he stops it, his health condition worsens and deteriorates.
In the ongoing research efforts of scientists and researchers, a team of Sudanese and Japanese scientists has discovered a compound in a Sudanese plant that could potentially be an effective treatment for AIDS after completing the required human trials to determine the dosage, toxicity limits, and administration method for patients.
To know more about this great achievement, Sudanow met with Prof. Mustafa Idris, a university professor, former assistant secretary general of Arab universities, and researcher in the field of medicine, to talk, and he said that the medicine is extracted from a Sudanese herb.
In Sudan, it is known as “Abu Gatana al-Kabira” (Large Abu Gatana ).
This drug is distinguished by a dual mechanism of action: it first activates the latent HIV virus inside the immune T cells, then eliminates it by stimulating the cytotoxic T cells, following the “Shock and Kill” strategy.
It is effective at a dose of less than 5 nanomolar.
After that, the drug prevents the virus from re-entering T cells by inhibiting HIV-specific receptors, at a dose of less than 10 nanomolar.
Scientific experiments have also proven that the drug has extremely low toxicity, with a toxic dose of about 15 millimolar. This means that the Selectivity Index (SI) exceeds 3000—an exceptionally high rate that makes the drug a strong candidate for achieving a complete cure for HIV/AIDS when used in combination with Combinational Antiretroviral Therapies (cART).
This compound was developed through joint research between the University of Khartoum in Sudan, represented by Prof. Mustafa Idris Al-Bashir from the Faculty of Medicine and Prof. Maha Kurdufani from the Faculty of Science, and Kumamoto University in Japan, led by Dr. Khalid Mohamed Al-Amin and Prof. Shojo Misumi.
The achievement came after long-term collaboration that included joint workshops at the Sudanese Ministry of Higher Education and interviews with some traditional healers in the country.
The NPO Rocinantes Organization, based in Sudan, played a pivotal role in the success of this achievement, through the efforts of its organization head, Dr. Nayuki Kawahara, who dedicated all his resources and energy to supporting the project until it reached this significant scientific outcome.
Prof. Mustafa Idris says that all experiments were conducted on human cells cultured in the lab, with no animal or plant trials. Since this experiment was not preceded by human trials, the next phase requires collaboration with doctors in hospitals for further patient trials. They are currently in contact with specialists to expedite these trials, solely to scientifically confirm efficacy in a rigorous manner, after having established the absence of toxicity and significant effectiveness in activating latent viruses and preventing viral entry into human T-cells.
This discovery was published in a scientific paper published on August 6, 2025, in Frontiers in Pharmacolgy, a prestigious journal with a high impact factor.
In addition to a workshop held on February 8, 2020, where the research protocol was discussed and approved by the Sudanese and Japanese team in Khartoum, the research team also met with the Minister of Health and traditional healers (herbalists) in Sudan.
With its vast natural resources and biodiversity, Sudan has the potential to become a leading country in the field of treating intractable diseases.
In conclusion, Prof. Mustafa Idris urges decision-makers and relevant authorities in scientific research to implement research findings and pay more attention to traditional medicine (herbal remedies). He notes that the world is moving towards finding alternative, safe medicines, and the World Health Organization has issued reports highlighting the need for such alternatives.
Since this field is considered a fertile field that must be moved to keep pace with the world and because Sudan has a great wealth in natural medicinal plants, as Sudan has more than 4,000 medicinal plants that have proven their effectiveness in traditional medicine in the treatment of many diseases, many scientific publications and papers have been issued, it should be a motivation to put them into practice and become a global issue that expands the circle of participation between the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, the Pharmacy and Toxicology Department, and pharmaceutical companies.
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