Scientists at Rocky Mountain Laboratories have discovered new information about how deadly brain-killing diseases like mad cow and chronic wasting destroy brain tissue.

Drawing on experimental concepts developed at the Hamilton lab a decade ago, the research published last week in the online version of the journal. Scientists suggest that changing a brain protein associated with the diseases slows or prevents symptoms even though the brain is infected.

The work provides insights into how prion diseases - mad cow in cattle, chronic wasting in deer and elk, scrape in sheep and Creutzfeldt-Jacob in people - and other neurodegenerative diseases develop. And according to the principal researcher Dr. Bruce Chesebro, the surprising research results raised more questions.

"There was so much about this research that surprised us and gave us ideas to pursue," Chesebro said.

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Source: Ravalli Republic, Jenny Johnson
June 8, 2005

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