Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: therapeutic strategies.

ABSTRACT

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a rare neurodegenerative illness which belongs to the group of transmissible subacute spongiform encephalopathies (TSSE). Today, no treatment is available for TSSE. The appearance of a new variant of CJD, which affects young people and could be linked to so-called ;mad cow disease', has stimulated researchers to develop new therapies against CJD. A few drugs have already been shown to delay the onset of experimental TSSE. They could contribute to the understanding of the pathogenic mechanisms involved in TSSE and, therefore, could be the basis for therapeutic strategies against CJD.