Luminescent Conjugated Polymers Combat Mad Cow Disease

Luminescent Conjugated Polymers, also known as "homing molecules," were injected into sections of mice brains that were infected with prions. Prions are diseased forms of normal folding proteins in the brain. Colleagues at the University Hospital of Zurich found that the toxicity and number of prions was decreased in these mice when they were exposed to homing molecules. Not only is this discovery important for treating illnesses like mad cow disease, but the findings could also lead to new treatments for fatal nerve-destroying illnesses.http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2012/04/24/prions_in_the_brain_eliminated_by_homing_molecules.html