Schroeder B, Caughey B, Mong C, Kurth R (2000): Composition for treating prion or other neurodegenerative diseases, comprises a peptide that inhibits unfolding of the prion to its pathological isoform and nucleic acid for spongiform encephalopathy, Alzheimer disease and Huntington chorea gene therapy
Patent.

A pharmaceutical composition containing an 18-mer peptide or its modified and/or concatameric forms or analogs is new. Also claimed are: a pharmaceutical composition containing the nucleic acid that encodes the 18-mer peptide, antibodies that bind the nucleic acid, peptides of defined formulae, and fully defined 72, 60, 60, 96 or 60 bp nucleic acids encoding the peptides. The peptide and the nucleic acid are used as diagnostic markers of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (specifically Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, Gerstmann-Straeussler-Scheinker disease, fatal familial insomnia, bovine spongiform encephalopathy), Alzheimer disease and Huntington chorea and/or other neurodegenerative diseases and for prevention and or treatment of these diseases, in humans or other animals. Antibodies against the peptide are used as diagnostic reagents.