title: Anti-prion antibodies for prophylaxis following prion exposure in mice.
abstract: Prion disease is characterized by a conformational change of the normal form of the prion protein (PrP(C)) to the scrapie-associated form (PrP(Sc)). Since the emergence of new variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease a potentially large human population is at risk for developing prion disease. Currently, no effective treatment or form of post-exposure prophylaxis is available for prion disease. We recently showed that active immunization with recombinant PrP prolongs the incubation period of scrapie. Here we show that anti-PrP antibodies following prion exposure are effective at increasing the incubation period of the infection. Stimulation of the immune system is an important therapeutic target for the prion diseases, as well as for other neurodegenerative illnesses characterized by abnormal protein conformation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, Millhauser Laboratory, 550 First Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA.
authors.forename: Einar M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Sigurdsson
authors.forename: Man-Sun
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Sy
authors.forename: Ruliang
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Henrieta
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Scholtzova
authors.forename: Richard J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Kascsak
authors.forename: Regina
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kascsak
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Carp
authors.forename: Harry C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Meeker
authors.forename: Blas
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Frangione
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wisniewski
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000032:analysis; D007562:Creutzfeldt-Jakob Syndrome / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D018621:PrPC Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D018620:PrPSc Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D017096:Prion Diseases / Q000276:immunology* / Q000628:therapy*; D011328:Prions / Q000276:immunology*; D012608:Scrapie / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D018621:PrPC Proteins; D018620:PrPSc Proteins; D011328:Prions