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The relationship between neuron damage and clinical disease: relating murine and ovine scrapie to BSE and CJD

ReferenceBS410537
Principal Investigator / Supervisor Dr Janet Fraser
Co-Investigators /
Co-Supervisors
Professor James Ironside, Dr MARTIN JEFFREY
Institution The Pirbright Institute
DepartmentNeuropathogenesis Unit
Funding typeResearch
Value (£) 155,962
StatusCompleted
TypeResearch Grant
Start date 01/06/1999
End date 01/06/2002
Duration36 months

Abstract

The pathology of the TSEs is immensely varied and yet shows considerable congruity between species; however, the pathophysiological basis for clinical disease is not known. This study will combine three areas of pathological research: experimental studies on murine scrapie, scrapie in sheep and BSE in cattle, and CJD in man. Evidence from murine scrapie suggests that neuronal dysfunction initiated at the synapse underlines clinical disease. We propose to test this observation in sheep scrapie, BSE, and CJD by quantifying neuron morphology using confocal imaging and morphometric techniques and correlating with synaptic degeneration. A reliable method of estimating synapse number and integrity will be developed and applied to murine, ovine, bovine and human CNS.

Summary

unavailable
Committee Closed Committee - Agri-food (AF)
Research TopicsX – not assigned to a current Research Topic
Research PriorityX – Research Priority information not available
Research Initiative Biology of Spongiform Encephalopathies - Phase 4 (BS4) [1998]
Funding SchemeX – not Funded via a specific Funding Scheme
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