Abstract: Neuronal cell death is considered to be a hallmark in prion diseases. These disorders are believed to result from the post-translational conversionof a normal cell membrane sialoglycoprotein, composed primarily of helical structure, into a disease specific isoform, that is rich in sheet and partially proteinase-resistant.Recent in vivo studies indicate that prion replication can be inhibited by anti-PrP monoclonal antibodies that led to the indefinite delay in the development of prion disease.Furthermore, these reports increased momentum about the use of antibody-based therapy in prion diseases.

Key words: anti-prion antibody; apoptosis; PrPc; PrPsc