Mad Cow Disease, and Creutzfeld-Jakob Disease for human version, is quite familiar in our ears since years ago. At the early of the disease found, almost all of the researchers concluded that it caused by some kind of virus, except Mr. Stanley Prusiner who received the Nobel Prize for his invention of the prion protein which caused the disease. After that, many scientists try to research the prion deeper.
What happens now, according to one of the scientific magazine in US, are just a few students who has an interest in the prion research. I don't know exactly what the reason they have, but maybe they think that the prion research will give no more future chances than other field of research. I can't imagine how Mr. Prusiner will sadly says 'No'� if he hears about it.
One of the shocking researches I know about the prion has ran by Dr. Lindquist and her team at Boston since years ago. They found that the normal prion injected to the mice brain help the brain to make a new brain neuron, even if it injected in adult mice. Although they haven't yet found 'and the research still running- how that normal prion work to help it happen, they obtain that the prion protein do it.
I just feel it something different with what almost people think about that kind of protein: it surely just a disease. Exactly not, if the prion in the normal structure. What happens to the mad cow disease is the proteins have an abnormal structure. So, now, is there anybody think wildly about the future chances of that macromolecules, after I tell that the scientist have already found that the prion protein exists on many different cell types throughout the body, not only at the brain?
In my mind, the prion seems will be one of the next future hope in medical to so much people who lost their body part, like hand or leg, caused of amputation or an accident, or to fix another problem that need new cells and new tissues. Just think about the prion work and help building the new cells, then synthesis the new tissues, and finally the new leg or hand appears almost naturally! Although seems not so easy like that.
The process could take a long time, and sure, that will be not funny things when we have a baby's size leg while our faces are seen already have three grandchildren. But, according to the gene expression control, we can run the process and stop it running by repressing the way it work with the drugs help. The field of molecular biology and biochemistry today can make it real, even less tomorrow.
And the applications don't stop there. Wanna have a Tom Cruise or J-Lo face? You'll get it with a plastic surgery. Isn't horrified? Yes, I know it. But, if the prion can be applicated to build a new skin cells naturally, it can be used to do it with a slow motion unfelt process, and it can be also applicated for burned or injured skin. It's just one of the samples.
That's so many things we can do with the prion protein. The ability of that protein gives us so many questions to be answered, so much secret to be explored. And God will never give even one tiny molecule naturally in our body without any function. Just let's explore it, then thanks God for the gifts.(s.h.pratama)

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