December 21, 2006

Mad-cow disease: Experimental filter tackles risk from blood transfusion

Scientists have, according to this story, developed an experimental device that can filter out rogue prion proteins from the blood, in what they say is a major step towards ensuring the safety of blood donations from mad-cow disease.
Earlier this month, doctors stepped up warnings that the human form of mad-cow disease -- one of a family of prion diseases -- could be transmitted by blood transfusion after a third British individual became infected this way. LINK