Overview of protein misfolding amplification methods and their use in prion disease diagnosis and in investigations of within- and inter-species prion transmission

The presentation provides an overview of in vitro protein misfolding amplification assays used in prion research, with particular emphasis on Protein Misfolding Cyclic Amplification (PMCA). After summarizing the principles of prion replication and the limitations of conventional CWD diagnostics, the talk illustrates how RT‑QuIC and PMCA reproduce misfolded prion‑driven conversion mechanisms with high analytical sensitivity. The presentation details the optimization of PMCA conditions using reindeer PRNP variants as substrates and CWD isolates as seeds, highlighting genotype‑dependent differences in amplification efficiency. These experimental insights demonstrate how PMCA can be used not only for sensitive prion detection but also to investigate strain properties, host–substrate compatibility, and the potential impact of PRNP genetic variation on CWD susceptibility.