The study, conducted at a leading prion research institute in Europe, found that the Pall Leukotrap® Affinity Prion Reduction Filter reduces infectious vCJD prions from red blood cell concentrates below the limit of detection of the Western blot assay. The investigators concluded that these results suggest that the new filter can be used to remove different strains of infectious prions, including vCJD.
Samuel O. Coker, Ph.D., Principal Scientist and Technical Director of Pall Medical, who presented the results also reported on the newest findings of additional research, conducted with the New York Institute of Basic Research, confirming that the same technology reduces infectious scrapie prions from blood. Both vCJD and scrapie are transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) that cause fatal, neurorodegenerative prion diseases in humans and animals.
"The outcomes of these new studies are fortuitous in respect to the recent cases of transfusion-transmitted vCJD. The possibility of further increases in the number of human cases is of an uncertain magnitude, and the adverse impact that current donor deferral measures has on availability of the blood supply creates a serious public health issue" says Eric Krasnoff, Chairman and CEO, Pall Corporation. "We are moving forward as quickly as possible so that this new technology can be made available worldwide. This is part of our ongoing commitment to blood safety and our ongoing prion research program."
There have been
'"/>
Contact: Laura Constable
laurac@bycommunications.com
973-746-8183
Pall Corporation
2-Nov-2004