Dr. Graham S. Jackson

Recent advances in the methods that support prion replication in vitro have allowed the introduction of genetically engineered prion proteins into active prion particles. By introducing modified fluorescent substrates into protein misfolding by cyclic amplification (PMCA), investigators hope to monitor prion replication, in real time, using fluorescence anisotropy. This will allow investigators to study the early stages of prion replication and provide quantitative kinetic measurements of fibril elongation. The improved resolution of such a real-time PMCA reaction will offer improved detection of prions for diagnosis and the potential to differentiate between strains by their replication kinetics.