Several structures of this protein have been solved by X-ray crystallography and deposited in the PDB.

It has been shown in vitro to be a highly potent HIV entry inhibitor.

[3] Griffithsin shows a broad spectrum ability to bind to the glycoproteins of other viruses, such as the coronavirus.

A 2014 study showed griffithsin to also possess useful antiviral activity against Ebolavirus.

They were able to extract enough griffithsin to produce about 100,000 HIV microbicide doses from the leaves.