It often strikes me that scientific humour and metaphors can be very funny. This was certainly the case in some of the readings and videos about prions. I also discovered that the analogy of Dr Jekyll to Mr Hyde is widely used among people who studies it . pathologists and biologists alike – to explain the conversion of the prion proteins from the normal structure (PrPc) into the transformed, harmful and disease carrying structure (PrPSc). The literary association made with the character of Dr Jekyll was helpful drawing the truly grim picture of prion. Yet, the use of the more caricatured terms such as “The Serial Killers That Kills the Brain” (James Ironside, 2010) and Zombie Stuff as used in the short video is almost a scientific reality when we talk about prions. These microscopic proteins present shocking disease that pose real threat to humans and our very existence. The account of Kuru said that death came with a hundred percent certainty. This happens because death of these cells results in death of the nerve system once its intoxicating effects take place.
The Nobel Lecture presented by Stanley Prusiner was one of the most comprehensive scientific papers I have read about any biological topic. What interested me was not just the scope that drew out the large picture for understanding prions, (there were certainly parts that wrote itself very technically), but also the methodology in which Prusiner’s research was presented. This brings me to the reading we did about the scientific method last week. In researching prions, there were very many aspects that relied on the methodology. Prusiner, like all scientists, must have been careful in his approach and decision to arrive at his results that earned him the Nobel Prize. To begin when the research began in the 70s the technology might have not been developed enough to see everything about the prions because they are not detectable with normal microscopes. This clearly complicates understanding of prions because it is not transmisseble under natural conditions. The most challenging aspect perhaps is the slow incubation time of prions, which requires a particular meticulous approach to it when scientists study it today. It took Prusiner a long time to arrive at his findings, but the research established an important foundation that other studies now can departure from. We considered these neurodegenerative diseases in class.
Ultimately, it’s interesting how this plays out when I think about the class tag line “think/act like a scientist/artist”. This idea is in constant interplay. Methodology is like detective work, and like a crime case it is crucial to solve it quickly.
To conclude, that prion diseases still remain such a mystery while being a very scary and posing a real threat, hopefully there will be groundbreaking discovery in the field in the years to come.