X-Message-Number: 6266
From:  (Jason L. Eriksen)
Newsgroups: sci.cryonics,sci.life-extension
Subject: Re: BSE and prion diseases
Date: 25 May 1996 04:27:25 GMT
Message-ID: <4o627d$>
References: <>

John de Rivaz () wrote:
: Has anyone any idea of what direction scientific research should take if 
: effective treatments for prion diseases asuch as CJD and BSE are to be 
: developed?

Proteins which bind the normal conformation of prion-likep
proteins have been shown in yeast to prevent and reverse abnormal 
conformations of prion proteins.

There are a variety of common neurodegenerative disorders, including 
Alzheimer's Disease, as well as systemic amyloidoses, that involve 
prion-like proteins. By preventing the deposition (laying down) of these
proteins on top of a template, it is possible to see retardation, prevention,
and possible reversals in plaque formation that normally appear with these
diseases.

One suggestion would be to inject an antibody line which binds a conformational
epitope which appears only in the abnormal version of this protein. There are
a number of very difficult barriers to this form of therapy. A second strategy
is to induce a protein in cells, such as a heat shock protein, which binds to
the abnormal configuration and prevents plaque growth. This strategy appears
to be a viable one, although the difficulty is to figure out what proteins
can bind to the abnormal configuration, and more secondary, how one can induce
production of this protein in vivo.

Regards,
Jason Eriksen


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