Print

About PrioNet Canada

PrioNet Canada is an initiative of the Government of Canada’s Network of Centres of Excellence program established to solve the food, health safety, and socioeconomic problems posed by prion diseases. PrioNet’s basic, applied, and social research focuses on prion diseases such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, commonly known as mad cow disease), Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans, and chronic wasting disease in deer and elk.

In 2009, PrioNet updated its strategic plan to integrate its national research program around three key research themes: Prion Ecology, Prion Biology, and Prion Preparedness and Prevention.

PrioNet’s network of research excellence includes over 90 leading investigators and 250 students and young professionals from across Canada working with international collaborators, government, non-government organizations, and industry partners.

PrioNet functions in many capacities. PrioNet supports multidisciplinary research, provides training and networking opportunities, facilitates the transfer of research results to commercial uses, and promotes knowledge exchange activities. PrioNet’s robust education and training program offers opportunities for investigators, students, and other highly qualified personnel to build on their research or gain valuable professional development experience. PrioNet’s Student and Young Professional Association brings together the burgeoning population of young prion scientists in Canada. Through its International Partnerships Initiative, PrioNet is catalyzing collaborations amongst prion networks around the world to accelerate the pace of prion research efforts and achieve tangible results.

For more information on PrioNet Canada, please visit www.prionetcanada.ca.