Question

In what year did Stanley Prusiner discover prions?

Answer 1

In 1982, Stanley Prusiner announced his success in purifying the causing agent of scrapie, a protein which was later termed as Prion.

Explanation:

Prions are small proteinaeciuos infectious particles resistant to inactivation by most procedures that modify nucleic acids.

Soon the nature of the prions became clear. Prions are proteins, unlike bacteria and virus and have no DNA or RNA. They spread by misfolding or changing the shape of normal proteins present in the host. This leads to destruction of neurons, making the brain tissue look like a sponge.

Stanley Prusiner was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1997, for his discovery.