About the Centre
Mission
The Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Disease (CPPFD) was established by the University of Alberta with a mandate to lie at the forefront of prion research. Research work at the Centre commenced in 2007 with the primary focus being to develop new insights into the biological processes of prion diseases and hence reductions in the impact of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) in livestock and Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in free-ranging cervid populations. A secondary goal concerned the leveraging of findings from prion research to address human neurodegenerative diseases; these diseases are now recognized to include prion-like templated protein misfolding and cell-to-cell spread as crucial steps in pathogenesis. In addition to research activities, another aspect of the centre's mandate concerns learning; by encompassing different disciplines within the biosciences and serving as a nexus for activity at the University of Alberta and in the Campus Alberta Neuroscience network, the CPPFD comprises an advantageous training environment for young scientists.
