Amorfix detects vCJD prions in non-human primates

Amorfix Life Sciences (TSX:AMF) has taken a giant step in readying a screening test for the human version of mad cow disease by reporting that it detected abnormal proteins or prions responsible for the disease in monkey blood.

“It’s fantastic for our test,” George Adams, CEO of Amorfix, told Andy Georgiades of Dow Jones newservice, adding that the primate and human versions of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) are essentially the same .

The company tested six blood samples, detecting the disease in three cases in monkeys before they showed any symptoms of the brain-wasting disease.  The company also correctly identified one animal with symptoms and two uninfected animals put in the study.

“Given these results and the similarity of this primate model to humans, it is important to now test human vCJD blood samples,” Dr. Adams said in a statement.

The company expects to start testing human blood samples in Britain in the next few months as part of a four-year pact with the government.  Britain has been hardest hit by mad cow and fears the disease is being spread through unscreened blood transfusions.