A new blood filter that can remove proteins responsible for the human form of BSE could be commercially available in Europe later this year.
Patrick Gurgel, research scientist with ProMetic Life Sciences in Quebec, said the device created for use in screening blood for transfusions is being tested in Ireland and England, with the first commercial applications expected by mid 2008.
The hand-sized unit contains a material that recognizes and binds to prions, removing them from blood concentrates in less than an hour.
The prion proteins believed to cause BSE in cattle also cause variant Creutz-feldt-Jakob disease, a human neurological disorder known to have killed 200 in Europe.
Gurgel expects the device, the only one of its kind, will one day be routinely used in blood transfusions to reduce the risk of contracting the disease.
“If you catch vCJD, you’re going to die,” he said.
Experts believe it is caused by eating beef from BSE-infected cattle.
The disease results in the slow destruction of the brain tissue, nerve damage, paralysis and death.
