More prions to stop evil

2001/04/24 Galarraga Aiestaran, Ana - Elhuyar Zientzia

• Biologia
• Ikerketa-zentroak

However, researchers at the University of California have presented a work that has awakened hope in some. Pathogenic prions alter normal prions by forming plaques in the disease-causing brain. According to these researchers, according to the mathematical model developed by themselves, the addition of normal prions of another species can prevent the spread of the disease.

At the same time, laboratory trials have yielded similar results to the mathematical model. These trials, for their part, have highlighted certain limitations in the transmission of prions between species, although the mechanisms and limits of such transmission are not very clear (see "Prions cross borders between species", 09/03/2001). However, it seems that the pathogenic prions of mice are able to cause disease in hamsters, while the prions of hamsters are less effective in the mouse.

In view of this, they introduced the normal prions of hamsters into the brain of affected mice. Thus, according to the mathematical model, the advance of the disease was prevented. Upon reaching the prion plates of mice forming the normal Hamster prions, a layer of hamster prions forms around the plates.

However, this only happens when the hamster prion deteriorates before the mouse prion. In addition, hamster concentration in the mouse brain is very high and researchers still do not know how to do it.

Peter Lansbury, an expert at Harvard University, believes treatment may be appropriate. For example, in the case of sickle cell anemia, to prevent the hemoglobin that produces it from appearing bad, a fetal hemoglobin production occurs.

However, other researchers consider that a greater number of prions can accelerate the transformation process, so it would not be possible to stop the disease. On the other hand, there may be mutant prions of hamsters that could damage the brain of mice, so the harmful effect would double.

More research needed

The European Union, through its press release, has released research and knowledge projects on spongiform encephalopathies. It recognizes the severity of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy and the variant of Creutzfeld-Jackob Syndrome, as well as the difficulties and gaps suffered by research to date.

As a result, they have decided to strengthen coordination among the research carried out in Europe, as well as pay more attention to priority issues such as conducting tests for live animals, obtaining the inactivation pathway of prions, knowledge of the transmission of spongiform encephalopathies and risk assessment for humans.

The crisis of bovine spongiform encephalopathy has highlighted the importance and need to constitute the European Research Department.