When you expect more than just clean... PRIONZYME Delivers.

MEDICAL/DENTAL DECONTAMINATION
A powerful but safe enzymatic approach to prion disinfection of surgical instruments

With PRIONZYME™, Genencor^® serves sterilization centers, medical offices, and dental practices with highly effective prion decontamination, safeguarding patients against Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD), variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD), and other transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs). Specialty surgical practices, such as neurology and ophthalmology, also look to PRIONZYME™ for reducing the risk of iatrogenic transmission of prions from these higher-risk tissues. 

With over 190,000 cases of documented bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) cases in 25 countries, and the human form, vCJD, reported in more than 200 patients in 11 countries,* prion diseases have caused a staggering economic, health, and lifestyle impact throughout the world. And these are just the reported cases; it’s unclear the total number of animals and humans affected. Not all countries perform 100% animal inspection, and poor diagnostics and patient tracking in some geographic areas could mean greater human impact.  

Resistant to standard methods of disinfection, these infectious proteins bind avidly to stainless steel instruments used in medical and dental procedures. Actual cases of CJD transmission via medical instruments have been documented. There is a real need, therefore, for highly effective prion removal and inactivation through proteolytic destruction. 

Moreover, vCJD is found in a wider dispersion of human tissues relative to other human TSEs, increasing the potential risk. With the long latency of vCJD, continued outbreaks remain a possibility. 

Continued research into prion disease indicates the potential for other concerns. For example, Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), a TSE of deer, elk, and moose, is highly infectious amongst populations of these animals. CWD is spreading in infected geographies and remains stable and infectious in the soil and environment for years. Recent work shows that it is present in the muscle tissue of infected animals. While species barriers exist for certain prions and no research to date suggests CWD transmission to humans, a theoretical potential remains. After all, BSE made the species jump to humans. At Genencor^®, we want to safeguard the population against known, documented risks and be prepared for future threats.

*As of February 2008.