May 11, 2004 Vol. LVI, No. 10 Database Promotes Sharing, Cost-Saving at NIH NIAID Explores the Many Faces of Transplantation Day for Kids Brings Out Teacher in NIH'ers Klein Wins Mathilde Solowey Award, To Lecture May 20 in Lipsett NIGMS's Charland Finds Fulfillment on the Farm NIH Observes Earth Day, Apr. 21 NIH Parenting Festival Set, May 26 NIH Asian/Pacific Islander Heritage Programs |
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Dilemmas of Dearly Departing By Carla Garnett
MRC's Weissmann Discusses Prion Transmission By Rich McManus The name of the mysterious pathogen that causes the brain-rotting transmissable spongiform encephalopathies such as scrapie, "mad cow" disease and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease sounds like it came from a bad 1950's sci-fi film prions. And according to Dr. Charles Weissmann, professor and senior research scientist at the Medical Research Council prion unit at University College, London who lectured here Apr. 7 prions have devilish characteristics that wouldn't put them beyond the pale of an old Outer Limits rerun: though mercifully rare striking only one person in a million yearly the buggers are wildly infectious, capable of surviving withering attempts at cleansing and able to stick stubbornly to such surfaces as plastic and stainless steel. M O R E . . . |