Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease News and Research

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Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease or CJD (sometimes incorrectly referred to as mad cow disease) is a degenerative neurological disorder (brain disease) that is incurable and invariably fatal. It is the most common among the types of transmissible spongiform encephalopathy found in humans.

Lancet review examines possible amyloid-beta transmission through blood transfusions

A review and opinion piece published in The Lancet and led by UCL (University College London) and UCLH researchers discusses the possibility that blood transfusions may inadvertently transmit harmful brain proteins, and whether additional safety measures are warranted as a precaution whilst further research is conducted to better understand these potential risks.

21 Aug 2026

New study defines rapidly progressive dementia

A new multicenter study led by Mayo Clinic researchers has established a practical, evidence-based definition for rapidly progressive dementia (RPD), a rare but devastating form of cognitive decline that develops over months instead of years.

15 Dec 2025

New algorithm enhances prediction of disordered protein structures

The intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) do not attain a stable secondary or tertiary structure and rapidly change their conformation, making structure prediction particularly challenging.

7 Mar 2025

Ex-eye bank workers say pressure, lax oversight led to errors

William Lopez remembers clearly the day in June 2017 when he says he was asked to call the spouse of a college friend who had just died and ask for her eyes.

20 Nov 2024

Unraveling the role of liquid-liquid phase separation in neurodegenerative diseases

Liquid-liquid phase separation is not a precursor to formation of amyloid fibrils, a pathological hallmark of Parkinson's disease, shows study.

15 Jul 2024

Mammal-specific domain of the prion protein may hold clues to neurodegenerative diseases

A study from Bochum describes a mammal-specific domain of the prion protein and offers new approaches for research into neurodegenerative diseases.

23 May 2024

Study confirms strong barrier preventing chronic wasting disease transmission to humans

A new study of prion diseases, using a human cerebral organoid model, suggests there is a substantial species barrier preventing transmission of chronic wasting disease (CWD) from cervids - deer, elk and moose - to people.

17 May 2024

Repurposing human-approved drugs for prion disease treatment

Prions are the abnormal, pathogenic agents that are transmissible and are able to induce abnormal folding of specific normal cellular proteins.

16 May 2024

Possibility of wildlife-to-human crossover heightens concern about chronic wasting disease

Each fall, millions of hunters across North America make their way into forests and grasslands to kill deer. Over the winter, people chow down on the venison steaks, sausage, and burgers made from the animals.

2 Feb 2024

Novel learning-based framework for predicting Alzheimer’s disease progression

About 55 million people worldwide are living with dementia, according to the World Health Organization. The most common form is Alzheimer's disease, an incurable condition that causes brain function to deteriorate.

27 Jan 2024

New insights into the interplay between prions and TDP-43 in neurodegenerative pathology

Neurodegenerative diseases are characterized by the deposition of clumped proteins in the brain and progressive neuronal cell death.

4 Dec 2023

SARS-CoV-2 spike protein could be speeding up Alzheimer's and other brain diseases, says new study

Swedish researchers find that SARS-CoV-2's spike protein amyloids can accelerate the formation of harmful protein aggregates related to neurodegenerative diseases like Creutzfeldt-Jakob and Alzheimer's. The study suggests a potential link between COVID-19 and increased cases of these brain disorders.

5 Sep 2023

Novel prion strain causes chronic wasting disease in a Finland moose

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19 Jan 2023

Brain changes can be studied in very early stages of neurodegenerative diseases

Many changes take place in the brain long before symptoms appear. This has been shown in mice in two studies of prion diseases in which the brain gradually deteriorates.

10 Oct 2022

Decline in specific protein levels linked to Alzheimer’s disease, not buildup of amyloid plaques

New research from the University of Cincinnati bolsters a hypothesis that Alzheimer's disease is caused by a decline in levels of a specific protein, contrary to a prevailing theory that has been recently called into question.

5 Oct 2022

NPDPSC at Case Western Reserve University to receive CDC funding for better understanding of prion diseases

The National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center at Case Western Reserve University will receive up to $20 million in funding as part of a grant renewal from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to better understand how and why prion diseases––degenerative brain conditions found in both humans and animals - develop and spread.

20 Sep 2022

Researchers uncover the structure of protein fibrils linked to hereditary form of human prion disease

In a new study, researchers from the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have identified the structure of protein fibrils linked to a hereditary form of human prion disease.

12 Sep 2022

Prion imaging could lead to better understanding of what causes fatal neurological disorders

Prion diseases are incurable, deadly neurological disorders that can affect both humans and animals–including Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) in people, Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (also known as Mad Cow Disease) and Chronic Wasting Disease found in deer.

13 Jul 2022

New technologies for early clinical diagnosis of human prion diseases

Early and accurate diagnosis of human prion diseases is a long-standing difficulty. Currently, the definitive diagnosis of human prion diseases relies on pathognomonic histological features or PrPSc detection of patients' brain tissue biopsy or autopsy samples, which is not feasible in most cases.

11 Jan 2022

New study shines light on how brain cells die in prion diseases

Prion diseases, such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD), are fast-moving, fatal dementia syndromes associated with the formation of aggregates of the prion protein, PrP.

22 Dec 2021