Prion News and Research

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Scientists propose that Alzheimer's disease should be treated separately

Deciphering the mechanism that underlies the development of Alzheimer's disease in certain families but not in others, researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem's Faculty of Medicine have proposed that the malady is actually a collection of diseases that probably should be treated with a variety of different approaches.

4 Nov 2015

Signs of Alzheimer’s found in growth hormone patients

People may be able to contract Alzheimer’s disease during certain medical procedures in the same way that Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is transmitted, suggest researchers from University College London.

10 Sep 2015

Newly discovered prion causes Multiple System Atrophy

Multiple System Atrophy (MSA), a neurodegenerative disorder with similarities to Parkinson's disease, is caused by a newly discovered type of prion, akin to the misfolded proteins involved in incurable progressive brain diseases such Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD), according to two new research papers led by scientists at UC San Francisco.

1 Sep 2015

Prion protein could play a role in depression

The discovery of antidepressant drugs in the 1950s led to the first biochemical hypothesis of depression, known as the monoamine hypothesis. This hypothesis proposes that an imbalance of certain brain chemicals is the key cause of depression.

14 Aug 2015

New study reveals how infectious proteins spread from gut to the brain

Diagnosis of deadly brain conditions could be helped by new research that shows how infectious proteins that cause the disease spread.

5 Aug 2015

New monoclonal antibodies may provide blueprint for effective Alzheimer's disease treatments

Scientists at NYU Langone Medical Center's Center for Cognitive Neurology have evidence that monoclonal antibodies they developed may provide the blueprint for effective treatments for Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's disease.

21 Jul 2015

New study confirms neuroprotective role of PrPC against epilepsy

For some time, scientists have been wondering what the physiological role of PrP is in its normal physiological state. Previous studies suggested that among its functions one was preventing the onset of seizure discharges in the brain (most likely by modulating the action of specific synaptic channels), but some had questioned the validity of the research.

9 Jul 2015

Research shows how prion-like proteins critical for maintaining long-term memories

Research from Eric Kandel's lab at Columbia University Medical Center has uncovered further evidence of a system in the brain that persistently maintains memories for long periods of time. And paradoxically, it works in the same way as mechanisms that cause mad cow disease, kuru, and other degenerative brain diseases.

3 Jul 2015

UAlberta scientists explore physical principles underlying formation of misfolded protein aggregates

Working towards the ultimate goal to develop therapeutics to treat diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, ALS, and BSE (Mad Cow Disease), University of Alberta scientists Michael Woodside, Hao Yu, and Derek Dee are investigating the physical principles underlying the formation of misfolded protein aggregates.

26 Jun 2015

Prion variant offers “dramatic” protection against prion disease

A naturally occurring variant of the human prion protein is not only resistant to conversion into an abnormal form but also prevents the conversion of wild-type proteins, shows a study in Nature.

12 Jun 2015

Academics from University of Zurich selected to receive EU's most prestigious research grant

Two male academics and one female academic from the University of Zurich have been selected to receive the EU's most prestigious research grant. Each will receive between 2.5 and 2.9 million Euro to support innovative research projects over the next five years.

1 Jun 2015

Grass plants can bind, uptake and transport infectious prions

Grass plants can bind, uptake and transport infectious prions, according to researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth).

18 May 2015

Reducing protocol time for 96-well PCR Assays

The virus and prion validation group at Octapharma GmbH (Frankfurt, Germany) reports how implementing an INTEGRA VIAFLO 96 has enabled them to reduce the time taken to undertake PCR assays by greater than 60%...

From INTEGRA Biosciences 12 May 2015

Worthington introduces new line of Animal/Xeno-Free products for biomedical research at EB 2015

Worthington announced today the introduction of several new grades of Collagenase, recombinant Nucleases DNase I and RNases A, T1 & T2 and Neutral Protease (Dispase). All certified Animal/Xeno-Free (AF) to minimize potential BSE/TSE (prion) and mammalian virus contamination risks associated with bovine and other animal-sourced enzymes for primary and stem cell isolation, bioprocessing and other biopharm related applications.

1 Apr 2015

Study identifies small loop in human prion protein that resists chronic wasting disease

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) — an infectious disease caused by prions — affects North American elk and deer, but has not been observed in humans. Using a mouse model that expresses an altered form of the normal human prion protein, researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have determined why the human proteins aren't corrupted when exposed to the elk prions.

24 Feb 2015

TSRI scientists discover novel mechanism involved in Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and ALS

Scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have for the first time discovered a killing mechanism that could underpin a range of the most intractable neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and ALS.

16 Feb 2015

'Mad Cow' discovery points to possible neuron killing mechanism behind alzheimer’s and parkinson’s diseases

The new study, published recently in the journal Brain, revealed the mechanism of toxicity of a misfolded form of the protein that underlies prion diseases, such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (“mad cow disease”) and its human equivalent, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

13 Feb 2015

Scrapie pathogens can convert human prion protein to a pathological state

INRA scientists have shown for the first time that the pathogens responsible for scrapie in small ruminants (prions) have the potential to convert the human prion protein from a healthy state to a pathological state. In mice models reproducing the human species barrier, this prion induces a disease similar to Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

24 Dec 2014

First successful vaccination of deer against chronic wasting disease

Researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center and elsewhere say that a vaccination they have developed to fight a brain-based, wasting syndrome among deer and other animals may hold promise on two additional fronts: Protecting U.S. livestock from contracting the disease, and preventing similar brain infections in humans.

23 Dec 2014

UC Berkeley, UCSF researchers team up to create center for neurodegenerative disease research

Researchers at UC San Francisco and UC Berkeley have teamed up to create an innovative, integrated center for research on neurodegenerative diseases. Supported by a $3 million grant from the Glenn Foundation for Medical Research, the new center aims to pave the way to developing novel treatments for diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease by investigating the many ways that proteins can malfunction within cells.

10 Oct 2014