A Basic Recipe for PrionsMonday, Jul 2, 2007
Prions have been among the most controversial of infectious disease agents. These misshapen proteins have no DNA or RNA, so
many researchers have been skeptical of the idea that they alone can be responsible for disease. Now, infectious prions have
successfully been created in the laboratory for the first time, providing insight into how these deadly proteins form.
Study Links Progressive Aphasia Syndrome to Prion GeneMonday, Nov 28, 2005
Most people with a rare type of dementia called primary progressive aphasia (PPA) have a specific combination of prion gene
variants, a new study shows. The study is the first to link the prion protein gene to this disorder. The researchers also
looked at the prion protein gene in people with Alzheimer's disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's
disease) and did not find any association with specific gene variants in those disorders.
Test Could Improve Detection of Prion Disease in HumansMonday, Feb 14, 2005
A highly sensitive post-mortem test could help scientists more accurately determine if a person died of Creutzfeldt-Jakob
disease (CJD), a human neurological disorder caused by the same class of infectious proteins that trigger mad cow disease,
according to a new study supported in part by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The finding opens the possibility that
such testing might be refined in the future so it can be used to detect prion disease in living people and animals before
the onset of symptoms.
Pressure Combined with Heat Reduces Prion Infectivity in Processed MeatsMonday, May 5, 2003
The combination of high temperature and very high pressure in the preparation of processed meats such as hot dogs and salami
may effectively reduce the presence of infective prions while retaining the taste, texture, and look of these meats, according
to a new study.
Fact Sheet Protein Marker Found in Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies: Finding May Lead to Diagnostic Test for Human, Cattle
DisordersWednesday, Sep 25, 1996
A protein widely distributed in tissues throughout the body, with the highest concentration in the brain, has been shown to
be a specific marker in the spinal fluid of humans and animals infected with transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, scientists
say. This discovery paves the way for the development of an improved test for the diagnosis of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease
in humans and encephalopathies in animals. The test could enable precise identification of disease in British cattle presently
targeted for slaughter because of suspected infection with bovine spongiform encephalopathy, known as Mad Cow disease.
Creutzfeldt-Jakob Gene Mutation FoundThursday, Aug 30, 1990
Scientists at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) have linked three outbreaks of Creutzfeldt-Jakob
disease (CJD) in Europe and Israel to a genetic mutation found in the outbreaks' victims.
Pressure Combined with Heat Reduces Prion Infectivity in Processed MeatsMonday, May 5, 2003
The combination of high temperature and very high pressure in the preparation of processed meats such as hot dogs and salami
may effectively reduce the presence of infective prions while retaining the taste, texture, and look of these meats, according
to a new study.
Fact Sheet Long-Time NIH Grantee Stanley B. Prusiner Wins Nobel PrizeMonday, Oct 6, 1997
Stanley B. Prusiner, M.D., a long-time grantee of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), is the recipient of the 1997 Nobel
Prize in physiology or medicine for his discovery of an unusual class of infectious particles called prions. Prions are believed
to be responsible for a group of diseases that include "mad cow" disease. Prusiner, who is professor of neurology, virology,
and biochemistry at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), has received more than 56 million dollars in research
grant support from NIH during the last three decades.
Protein Marker Found in Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies: Finding May Lead to Diagnostic Test for Human, Cattle
DisordersWednesday, Sep 25, 1996
A protein widely distributed in tissues throughout the body, with the highest concentration in the brain, has been shown to
be a specific marker in the spinal fluid of humans and animals infected with transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, scientists
say. This discovery paves the way for the development of an improved test for the diagnosis of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease
in humans and encephalopathies in animals. The test could enable precise identification of disease in British cattle presently
targeted for slaughter because of suspected infection with bovine spongiform encephalopathy, known as Mad Cow disease.
Creutzfeldt-Jakob Gene Mutation FoundThursday, Aug 30, 1990
Scientists at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) have linked three outbreaks of Creutzfeldt-Jakob
disease (CJD) in Europe and Israel to a genetic mutation found in the outbreaks' victims.