Prion Disease News and Research

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Scientists detect pathological prion protein in skin of CJD patients

Researchers have found that it was possible to detect abnormal prion protein in the skin of 23 people who died from Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD). They also found that exposing mice to skin tissue taken from the CJD patients caused them to develop prion disease.

23 Nov 2017

Scientists develop new method to study Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in the lab

Scientists have developed a new system to study Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in the laboratory, paving the way for research to find treatments for the fatal brain disorder.

20 Nov 2017

Researchers discover important link between Parkinson's and prion diseases

Parkinson's disease and prion diseases are very different from each other as regards both origins and course. Nonetheless, a research group of SISSA's, headed by Professor Giuseppe Legname, has discovered an unexpected and important link between the two pathologies.

14 Sep 2017

New antibodies may halt key pathological mechanisms across several neurological diseases

A new kind of antibody targets a feature shared by proteins thought to cause the most damage in Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and related conditions, creating potential for a unified treatment approach.

29 Aug 2017

Scientists reveal role of cellular prion protein in development of NF2-related tumors

New research published today, 10th July 2017, online in the journal Oncogene could offer hope to the thousands of, mainly young, people affected by the hereditary condition Neurofibromatosis 2 (NF2).

10 Jul 2017

New approaches to early detection of Parkinson's disease on the horizon

Detecting Parkinson's disease before non-reversible symptoms occur: New approaches to early detection are meant to ensure just that. They are based on detection of alpha-synuclein in the skin or intestines.

24 Jun 2017

Researchers examine formation of functional amyloids by bacteria in real time

A team of scientists from the VIB lab of Han Remaut and the lab of Yves Dufrêne at UCL Louvain-La-Neuve collaborated on a study of functional amyloids -protein aggregates with the typical amyloid structure that do not lead to disease but rather serve a dedicated biological function.

21 Jun 2017

Study unravels mystery of how nerve cells are damaged in neurodegenerative diseases

A new study has uncovered a molecular mechanism in the prion protein, a protein responsible for neurodegenerative diseases, which may explain why nerve cells degenerate in these disorders.

25 May 2017

New research shows how to prevent prions from growing into deadly diseases

Prion diseases are scary, incurable and fatal. They first gained notoriety when cows became infected by prion proteins and, in turn, infected people. Fervor surrounding mad cow disease resulted in the U.S. banning imports of beef from the European Union for 15 years.

21 Mar 2017

New detection method could lead to noninvasive diagnosis of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

The detection of prions in the blood of patients with variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease could lead to a noninvasive diagnosis prior to symptoms and a way to identify prion contamination of the donated blood supply, according to researchers at McGovern Medical School at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

22 Dec 2016

Novel bifunctional dimers show promise in preventing Parkinson's disease

A team of researchers from the University of Saskatchewan has developed two caffeine-based chemical compounds that show promise in preventing the ravages of Parkinson's disease.

30 Sep 2016

MGH investigators discover key molecules essential for sensing proteasome dysfunction

Maintaining appropriate levels of proteins within cells largely relies on a cellular component called the proteasome, which degrades unneeded or defective proteins to recycle the components for the eventual assembly of new proteins.

16 Aug 2016

Scientists unravel effect of prion proteins on the nerves

Ever since the prion gene was discovered in 1985, its role and biological impact on the neurons has remained a mystery.

9 Aug 2016

Researchers clarify beneficial function of brain protein linked to mad cow disease

Scientists have clarified details in understanding the beneficial function of a type of protein normally associated with prion diseases of the brain, such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (commonly known as mad cow disease) and its human counterpart, variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

8 Aug 2016

Researchers develop new screening system to measure protein aggregates

Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Boston University have developed a system capable of quickly screening millions of yeast cells to measure protein aggregates.

15 Jul 2016

Study finds link between copper exposure and prion protein neurotoxicity

Iowa State University researchers have described with single-molecule precision how copper ions cause prion proteins to misfold and seed the misfolding and clumping of nearby prion proteins.

4 Jul 2016

UTHealth researchers receive $11 million grant to study prion diseases

Led by Claudio Soto, Ph.D., researchers from McGovern Medical School at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston have been awarded $11 million from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to study the pathogenesis, transmission and detection of prion diseases - such as chronic wasting disease in deer - that can potentially spread to humans.

30 Jun 2016

Advanced assay offers better sensitivity for detecting a prion disease affecting elk

Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), or prion diseases, are a family of rare progressive, neurodegenerative illnesses that affect both humans and animals. TSE surveillance is important for public health and food safety because TSEs have the potential of crossing from animals to humans, as seen with the spread of mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). A study in The Journal of Molecular Diagnostics describes an advanced assay that offers better sensitivity than currently available tests for detecting a prion disease affecting elk.

11 Apr 2016

Novel quantitative method may reduce or eliminate need for invasive biopsies

Scientists have identified a quantitative method to measure changes in biomarkers, which may reduce or eliminate the need for invasive biopsies. The method, described in the February 2016 issue of The FASEB Journal uses a novel chimera design of DNA and small DNA with a companion contrast agent to allow antibodies to cross cellular membranes.

8 Feb 2016

Alpha-synuclein protein involved in Parkinson's disease pathology does not behave like a 'prion'

In Parkinson's disease, the protein "alpha-synuclein" aggregates within neurons of patients and appears to propagate across interconnected areas of the brain. How this happens remains largely unknown.

6 Jan 2016