HOPES for a treatment for the human form of mad cow disease have been raised by development of antibodies that protect mice against scrapie. But there’s a catch: the antibodies only work if given before symptoms appear.
So far, 125 people in Britain have died of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD), and a further seven are suspected of having the disease. One is being given pentosan polysulphate, a drug normally used to treat cystitis, but no results have been announced.
The antibodies, developed by a team led by Simon Hawke of Imperial College, London, mop up prions, the rogue proteins that…
