Gene manipulation fights mad cow

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Silencing the genes that produce prion proteins can dramatically slow the progression of mad cow disease, suggests a new study in mice.

Researchers say that the approach might one day work to treat human prion illnesses, such as variant Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease (vCJD).

People can contract vCJD after eating meat contaminated with mad cow disease. Though the illness is extremely rare, it can lead to schizophrenia-like psychosis and typically causes death within a year of diagnosis.