A new rapid test for prions, which could be used in live animals, was featured at the recent meeting of the American Chemical Society. The test has been developed by a team at the Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).

The new technology uses a conformation-dependent-immunoassay (CDI), which, the scientists claim, can detect prion proteins with 100 per cent accuracy. In their deformed state, prions act as infectious agents for a group of diseases called transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE) such as BSE and scrapie.

Usually, tests for prions take several days to conduct and must be carried out on brain stem tissue from a dead animal. The new test however is automated and so it can be used to screen a large number of animal carcasses in a short time.

The new test also shows promise in its ability to detect prions in tissues such as blood and muscle while the animal is still alive. The technology has been licensed to InPro Biotechnology.