HIV/AIDS is a viral disease of great public concern in sub-Saharan Africa. Although HAART is able to extend life expectancy of HIV/AIDS patients, HIV/AIDS remains incurable with no vaccine in sight. Prostratin, a natural product is an HIV Latency Reversing Agent (LRA). Prostratin has been isolated from plants native to the Western World (temperate climate).

β-propiolactone (BPL) plays a vital role in vaccine development as it inactivate viruses and bacteria while preserving antigenicity. The treatment of viruses and bacteria with BPL modifies their genetic material, rendering them non-infectious while preserving their structural and immunogenic properties. BPL can be synthesized through different methods but most of them are based on fossil fuel. This project proposes conversion of cassava starch to BPL. The conversion of cassava to BPL in Uganda holds several significant benefits for the country.

Diabetes mellitus and its comorbidities (DM) are contributing significantly to the overall disease burden particularly among the adult population globally (Tino et al., 2020). Unfortunately, the available therapies are unaffordable with incomplete efficacy and sometimes severe adverse drug reactions (Obakiro et al., 2021). Consequently, the DM patients seek other alternative and complementary therapies of which herbal remedies are the most widely used (WHO, 2019).