Biofluids at risk of transmitting prion infection are AcquiSci’s target markets. These include non-cellular human blood products, such as, fresh frozen plasma and human clotting Factor VIII, along with animal derived biofluids such as bovine sera. We have targeted purification of bovine sera as our first product.

The underlying pathogenic event in all prion diseases is a conformational modification of the normal prion protein to its pathogenic form. Infectious prions cause deadly diseases in cows (Mad Cow Disease) and in humans, including Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD).

Bovine sera are utilized throughout the biopharmaceutical industry for the production of injectable vaccines and other products that are derived from cell, tissue or organ culture. Presently, the importation of bovine sera is restricted to countries that have been validated by the USDA as not having reported incidence of Mad Cow Disease. The number of countries that fulfill this criterion is constantly diminishing. Furthermore, the absence of a live animal serological assay to test for Mad Cow Disease heightens the uncertainty of potential contamination and regulatory circumvention by bovine source material countries.