Skip to main content
hpa logo
Topics A-Z:
Search the site:
Home › Products & Services › Infectious Diseases › Public Health Research ›Detection of vCJD in blood and tissues
Printer friendly page (opens in new window)

Detection of vCJD in blood and tissues

The TSE Research Group at the Agency's Centre at Porton Down have developed an ultra-sensitive assay based on the properties of thermostable adenylate kinases (tAKs), specifically to address issues of sensitivity for the detection and diagnosis of TSE agents in blood. Our studies have shown that the assay can detect recombinant prion protein at very low levels when spiked into blood, serum and tissue homogenates and on the surface of "mock" surgical instruments. Preliminary data has also shown that the assay method allows the detection of the infectious agent in similar complex samples and ongoing work aims to increase the sensitivity to make this useful for diagnostic and screening purposes. The work is now focussed on further optimisation of the assay to detect vCJD in infected blood and tissues, to address the ongoing public health concerns about blood donation/transfusion and transplantation.

Such methods are urgently required for the detection of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) in blood both for the purposes of patient diagnosis and for screening of blood donations. The occurrence of three cases of vCJD transmission, almost certainly linked to blood transfusion from asymptomatic vCJD-infected donors has resulted in a number of measures being taken to reduce the risk to patients (1, 2). A validated screening method would provide added security and would be of significant public health value to address this and other TSE-related issues.

The HPA are actively seeking partners to develop this technology further for applications in healthcare, veterinary or related fields. The tAK assay technology has also proved to be generically useful for addressing issues of assay sensitivity. Discussions are ongoing about licensing the technology but further enquiries are welcome. Further details and contacts can be reached via the partnership opportunities page.

References

1. Llewelyn CA, Hewitt PE, Knight RS, Amar K, Cousens S, Mackenzie J, et al. Possible transmission of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease by blood transfusion. Lancet 2004;363(9407):417-21.

2. Peden AH, Head MW, Ritchie DL, Bell JE, Ironside JW. Preclinical vCJD after blood transfusion in a PRNP codon 129 heterozygous patient. Lancet 2004;364(9433):527-9.

Funding Body

Department of Health and HPA - Centre for Emergency Preparedness and Response, Internal Research Development Funding

Collaborators:

NIBSC (National Institute for Biological Standards and Control)

For more information please contact : tse-research@hpa.org.uk