Mad Cow Disease News and Research

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Mad Cow Disease or BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy) is a progressive neurological disorder of cattle that results from infection by an unusual transmissible agent called a prion. The nature of the transmissible agent is not well understood. Currently, the most accepted theory is that the agent is a modified form of a normal protein known as prion protein. For reasons that are not yet understood, the normal prion protein changes into a pathogenic (harmful) form that then damages the central nervous system of cattle.

Strongest evidence yet that infectious misformed proteins cause mad cow disease

Researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (UTMB) have produced the strongest proof yet that the mysterious and devastating brain diseases known as "transmissible spongiform encephalopathies" (TSEs) are transmitted by an infectious agent composed only of a malformed protein, and not a virus.

21 Apr 2005

Short segments of sugar chains useful in search for new drugs for Alzheimer's

Heparansulfate, which is needed for normal fetal development among other things, is also important for the build-up of amyloid, morbid protein deposits that appear in several serious diseases. This is shown by Uppsala scientists in an article published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.

19 Apr 2005

Fibril shape is the basis of prion strains and cross-species prion infection

New research on prions, the infectious proteins behind "mad cow" disease and Creutzfeld-Jakob disease in humans, suggests that the ability of prions in one species to infect other species depends on the shape of the toxic threadlike fibers produced by the prion. Two studies on the topic appear in the 8 April issue of the journal Cell.

7 Apr 2005

New MS drug withdrawn from the market

Two patients involved in clinical trials of Tysabri, have contracted a rare and fatal disease, Elan’s multiple sclerosis (MS); one has already died. Withdrawal of the drug, eliminates all hope that it will be allowed back on the market this year, or ever.

8 Mar 2005

Research into how prions act in the brain could hold the key to defeating diseases

Scientists at the University of Southampton are continuing their pioneering research into diseases such as Creutzfeld-Jakob Disease (CJD) and related conditions caused by tiny particles known as prions, thanks to a £300,000 grant from the Medical Research Council.

1 Mar 2005

New clues to amyloidoses

Familial amyloid polyneuropathy (FAP), a hereditary disease characterised by abnormal deposits of insoluble protein in the organs, results from a mutation in a single gene (the transthyretin or TTR gene). Nevertheless, disease incidence and age of onset can vary significantly between patients what have always puzzled scientists.

21 Feb 2005

Prions, previously thought to accumulate mainly in the brain can also infect other organs

Prions, infectious proteins associated with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) or Mad Cow Disease, were previously thought to accumulate mainly in the brain, but Yale and University of Zurich researchers report in Science that other organs can also become infected.

7 Feb 2005

Latest Canadian mad cow case poses no threat

The recently confirmed case of mad cow disease in Canada is an isolated case and does not represent a threat to the food chain, according to the Pan American Health Organization’s top expert on the issue.

12 Jan 2005

Turning off cell suicide switch fails to stop prion damage

Researchers knew that prions, the misfolded proteins that cause mad cow disease and other brain disorders, were killing off a class of important brain cells in a transgenic mouse model. But when they found a way to rescue those cells, they were astonished to discover the mice still became sick.

21 Dec 2004

Movies help explain how proteins gather into clusters called amyloid fibrils

To get a better look at how proteins gather into clusters called amyloid fibrils – which are associated with important human diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and the so-called prion diseases like Mad Cow – researchers at North Carolina State University decided to make movies.

23 Nov 2004

American Meat Institute says U.S. beef is safe

The American Meat Institute (AMI) today said U.S. beef is safe and consumers needn't worry about news of a new "inconclusive" test result for BSE or "Mad Cow Disease."

18 Nov 2004

Statement from U.S. Department of Agriculture on an inconclusive BSE test result

Statement by Andrea Morgan, Associate Deputy Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture on an Inconclusive BSE Test Result.

18 Nov 2004

Mad cow disease prions can be removed from blood

New research results released today confirm that infectious variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD) prions that cause the human form of "mad cow disease" can be removed from blood.

From Pall Corporation 3 Nov 2004

Protein that causes juvenile Batten disease also plays a key role in normal cell function

The aberrant protein that causes juvenile Batten disease, a fatal neurodegenerative disorder of childhood, also plays a key role in normal cell function, Duke University Medical Center researchers have found.

16 Sep 2004

One of Australia's largest hospitals has suspected case of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease

The Royal Melbourne Hospital, one of Australia's largest hospitals, has contacted 1056 patients today after a man died of a suspected case of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease.

13 Sep 2004

Statistical method for faster prognosis of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases

A large number of diseases − including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and mad cow disease − are the result of proteins that erroneously assume the wrong shape, causing them to stick to each other.

13 Sep 2004

The prion appears to function as an evolutionary stepping stone

“This prion,” explains Lindquist, “has a capacity to hide and release genetic information throughout the entire genome that can contribute to new traits in a complex way.”

16 Aug 2004

Scientists have produced a prion protein that can trigger the development of a neurological disorder similar to "mad cow" disease

Scientists have produced a prion protein that can trigger the development of a neurological disorder in mice that is similar to "mad cow" disease, according to a new study supported by the National Institute on Aging, a part of the National Institutes of Health.

2 Aug 2004

DNA testing of one millionth sheep for scrapie susceptibility

Orchid BioSciences has announced that its animal genetic testing facility in the U.K. has completed DNA testing of its one millionth sheep for scrapie susceptibility.

10 Jul 2004

HHS strengthen safeguards against mad cow disease

HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson and Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman has announced three actions being taken to further strengthen existing safeguards that protect consumers against the agent that causes bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, also known as “mad cow disease”).

10 Jul 2004