Prion Developmental Laboratories , Inc.

Industry:	Medical Testing & Clinical Laboratories
Revenues:	Under $20 Million

Description

Prion Developmental Laboratories (PDL) is a private Maryland company that has established research collaborations with three major research institutions in the United States that are considered leading centers in prion diseases and diagnostic test development. The members of this research and product development team include Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) in Cleveland, Ohio; The University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute (UMBI) in Baltimore, Maryland; and The Institute for Basic Research and Developmental Disabilities (IBR) in Staten Island, New York.

The Principal Investigator and head of PDL's Scientific Advisory Board for this project is Robert C. Gallo, MD, Professor of Virology at the University of Maryland and Director of the Institute of Human Virology. The product development collaboration will be coordinated by Dr. Robert Petersen, Chief Scientific Advisor at PDL and an Associate Professor in the Department of Pathology at CWRU.

"Prion diseases in humans and animals are of increasing concern because these diseases are fatal and cannot be diagnosed early," said Dr. Gallo. "The availability of a diagnostic test to detect prions in presymptomatic humans and animals would help to relieve concern about the safety of the human blood supply and assist in maintaining the safety of products from animals. Our approach is to assemble novel and highly sensitive diagnostic techniques and adapt them to detect the abnormal prion proteins in blood."

"Unfortunately, at present the only way to diagnose "Mad Cow Disease" in cattle or the human form of the disease, known as new variant CJD (nvCJD), is after the symptoms have developed and the disease is entering its late stages. By then it's usually too late to ensure that infected meat or beef products have not entered the human food supply," said Dr. Petersen of Prion Developmental Laboratories. "There is still no treatment for prion diseases, including BSE and nvCJD, but a reliable and sensitive diagnostic would permit the testing not only of cattle, but also of human blood products and tissues before they are used in medical procedures. This diagnostic would provide a great deal of peace-of-mind among consumers, agricultural and public health officials worldwide."

Products & Services

diagnostic tests

News Archive

Other News To Note. BIOWORLD Today; 11/3/2009 ...Rapid Prion Detection Assays in 18 countries of the Pacific Rim. The licensed technology was developed by Prion Developmental Laboratories, a portfolio company of GBI. In lieu of the deal with Bio Business, GBI has the exclusive, worldwide... ...more

U.S. Patent Disclosures. BIOWORLD Today; 11/3/2009 ...Bioventures Inc., of New York, was granted a patent for the Rapid Prion Detection Assay technology developed by Prion Developmental Laboratories, a portfolio company of GBI. Iomai Corp., of Gaithersburg, Md., received U.S. Patent No. 7... ...more