Re:Doctors investigate mystery brain disease in Canada
by Red_Leaves_Flyy on Wednesday May 05, 2021 @06:53AM
(#27048355)
Iirc hospitals that treat patients with prion diseases incinerate all materials that contact the patients. I don't know how they sanitize the rooms but it can't be cheap or eco friendly.
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Re:Doctors investigate mystery brain disease in Canada
by XorNot on Wednesday May 05, 2021 @10:57AM
(#27050669)
Chemical agents which cause protein-crosslinking would be the preferred method - you can broadly make every side-group reactive and cause them all to stitch together with anything else organic, which tends to inactivate them (makes them a big blob which can't do much).
But it's nasty stuff to work with, since it also happily does tons of damage to the proteins making up the humans applying it.
Re:Doctors investigate mystery brain disease in Canada
by Red_Leaves_Flyy on Wednesday May 05, 2021 @11:28AM
(#27051156)
Do you have an example of such a chemical being used to effectively remediate prion contaminated environments?
Re:Doctors investigate mystery brain disease in Canada
by XorNot on Wednesday May 05, 2021 @11:54AM
(#27051533)
Apparently not: I was thinking glutaraldehyde which is used for cleaning in hospitals but reading up the advice for prions is explicitly opposed to cross-linking agents.
Which makes sense I guess but it's also scary.
Re:Doctors investigate mystery brain disease in Canada
by Red_Leaves_Flyy on Wednesday May 05, 2021 @01:12PM
(#27052661)
You raised my hopes and dashed them exquisitely.
Until we have better, cheaper, and less error prone methods of remediating prion diseases they're the #1 fear on my biological apocalypse list.
Re:Doctors investigate mystery brain disease in Canada
by turing_complete on Wednesday May 05, 2021 @07:38AM
(#27048635)
Destroying prions is eco friendly.
Re:Doctors investigate mystery brain disease in Canada
by Red_Leaves_Flyy on Wednesday May 05, 2021 @10:51AM
(#27050573)
Humans need a non toxic environment. Plants, and life in general, will find a way. With, and without, us.