|
|
Article: Prions: Invaders or defenders?(research into the protein that plays key role in trasmission of such diseases as Mad Cow Disease and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease)
- Article from:
- Chemistry and Industry
- Article date:
- June 26, 2000
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2000 Society of Chemical Industry. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
2nd
Mad Cow Disease or bovine spongiform encephelopathy (BSE) has been a disaster for the UK beef industry. Since its identification in 1986, BSE has killed over 170,000 cattle, and the possible link with new variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (nvCJD) in humans has caused a crisis in consumer confidence costing the industry an estimated [pounds]3bn. The culprit is a mysterious protein called a prion. Unlike bacteria or viruses, prions are able to transmit infection without the aid of the genetic materials, DNA or RNA, making them a unique infections agent. And as yet, prion diseases are untreatable. Paradoxically, however, recent research is revealing that the ...