Abstract

Prion diseases constitute a rare but noticeable group of neurodegenerative diseases according to their outstanding feature of transmissibility. Since different episodes (growth hormone, mad cow disease…) threatened public health during the past decades, the zoonotic potential of animal prion diseases and the iatrogenic risk of human prion diseases subsequently need to be assessed to purpose, if any, appropriate measures of prevention. Non-human primate (NHP) models played a crucial role in the history of prion diseases, and at the time of transgenic experimental models, they remain (up to now) prominent to answer certain crucial questions. We propose here to present a panorama of the contributions of NHPs to our understanding of these fatal neurological disorders.

Emmanuel Comoy (DVM, PhD) works at Atomic Energy Commission in the Prion Research Group since 1997. He is involved in diagnosis, decontamination and pathophysiology of prion diseases and prion-like disorders. His team is the coordinator of the NeuroPrion Association.