Alberta Prion Research Institute

A $35 million initiative announced by the Alberta government in February 2005 to investigate the science behind prion-related diseases such as BSE and chronic wasting disease

 The Alberta Prion Research Institute is a $35 million initiative, announced by the Government of Alberta in February 2005, which supports top researchers committed to finding an Alberta-based solution to the serious issues and challenges associated with prions, the proteins linked to bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).

The Prion Institute coordinates fundamental, applied and multidisciplinary research geared toward providing solutions and models of policy action that can meet the BSE challenge for the beef and food industries, and similar challenges from other transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) and other protein-misfolding diseases in plants, animals and humans.

The Prion Institute incorporates a province-wide research strategy that engages a broad spectrum of disciplines to address economic and social impacts of prion and related diseases. It will support outcomes-oriented research on prevention, mitigation and treatment of these diseases, and will develop the scientific evidence to inform public policy on solutions and best practices.

The initiative supports projects from Alberta academic institutions and private industry that:

• Focus on excellent research and innovation
• May eventually translate into products, services, and public policies
• May help Alberta companies develop, for example, new handling practices, surveillance procedures, diagnostic tests, decontamination technologies
• Can be applied beyond Alberta’s borders—nationally and globally

For more information, visit www.prioninstitute.ca