Verfahren zum Nachweis von Prionen sowie eine Vorrichtung hierzu

A method for determining the presence of spongiform encephalopathy (SE) causing organisms in a biological material containing pathological and physiological prion isoforms, comprises: (a) digesting the physiological prion isoform via limited proteolysis, and (b) determining the pathological isoforms via immunoassay by immobilising the pathological prion isoform via an antibody to a solid phase, marking the prions with a second labelled antibody and detecting the label optically, by immuno-resin crystal microscale and/or surface wave-frequency elements. Also claimed is a device for carrying out the method above comprising reactor elements for the preparation of the test material, reagents, antibodies and detector elements. USE - The method is used to detect bovine SE, scrapie, Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease, kuru kuru, Gerstmann-Straeussler-syndrome and/or Alzheimer's disease (all claimed).