title: Current and future molecular diagnostics for prion diseases.
abstract: It is now widely held that the infectious agents underlying the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies are prions, which are primarily composed of a misfolded, protease-resistant isoform of the host prion protein. Untreatable prion disorders include some human diseases, such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, and diseases of economically important animals, such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (cattle) and chronic wasting disease (deer and elk). Detection and diagnosis of prion disease (and presymptomatic incubation) is contingent upon developing novel assays, which exploit properties uniquely possessed by this misfolded protein complex, rather than targeting an agent-specific nucleic acid. This review highlights some of the conventional and disruptive technologies developed to respond to this challenge.
authors.affiliation: Amorfix Life Sciences, 3080 Yonge Street, Suite 6020, Toronto, M4N 3N1, Canada. marty.lehto@amorfix.com
authors.forename: Marty T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Lehto
authors.forename: Harry E
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Peery
authors.forename: Neil R
authors.initials: NR
authors.lastname: Cashman
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001671:Biochemistry / Q000379:methods; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology; D002417:Cattle; D007562:Creutzfeldt-Jakob Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics; D003670:Deer; D016643:Encephalopathy, Bovine Spongiform / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D025202:Molecular Diagnostic Techniques; D018620:PrPSc Proteins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood; D017096:Prion Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics*; D011328:Prions / Q000737:chemistry*; D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D034081:Wasting Disease, Chronic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D018620:PrPSc Proteins; D011328:Prions; D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic