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Diagnostic test for BSE
A small piece of tonsillar tissue may be all that is required from individuals suspected of having new variant Creutzfeld-Jakob disease (nvCJD), the human version of BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy). Researchers in Professor John Collinge’s laboratory at the Imperial College School of Medicine have developed a test which detects rogue prions in tissues. nvCJD is caused by a different prion from classic CJD and it is thought that the nvCJD prion is present in the tonsillar tissue for some time before symptoms of the disease develop. This would then allow population studies to be performed to indicate the likely exposure to nvCJD prions and may have major public health implications. The work has been supported by the Wellcome Trust and the Medical Research Council and proposals for population studies are being discussed with the Department of Health.
Medical Research Council announces a clinical trials unit
Following on its success with established centres of trial expertise in cancer and HIV infection, the MRC has plans afoot to expand its area of interest into several other disorders including rheumatoid arthritis, respiratory disorders, surgery in its broadest sense, geriatrics, and complementary medicine. Part of this initiative derives from the additional government funding (£90 million over 3 years) and will have major implications for the health of the public; it is particularly being targeted at translating …