(Beyond Clinical Diagnostics) A protein-binding ligand system for prion disease detection (IVDT archive, Sep 04)

Stuart Wilson, Amin Lane, Josephine Oliver, and Christopher Stanley The detection of prion diseases in animals and their diagnosis and treatment in human medicine is an area of recent intense scientific investigation. Tests are now available for brain tissue testing, and rapid progress is expected in the development of improved diagnostic technologies for detecting the presence of the infectious agent (the prion, a protein particle lacking nucleic acid) in the blood of infected animals and in donated human blood. A blood test for prion diseases in animals, when it is developed, will be an important element in the control and eradication of these diseases. And, of course, a test for donated blood will ensure the safety of the blood supply in human healthcare.