It sadly sounds like it targets RNA for the production of all prion proteins (a somewhat important protein for normal brain function, but not essential) and doesn't do anything to clean up existing misfolded proteins. Even if successful, it will probably have side effects.<p>Looking at the list of observed changes in mice this can be anything from destroying the sleep cycle to general memory problems.
Prion diseases include:<p>-in sheep, scrapie<p>-in humans, Kuru and Creutzfeldt-Jacob<p>-in cows, BSE ("mad cow")<p>-in deer, Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD)<p>-in cats, feline spongiform encephalopathy<p>Scrapie is particularly known, deadly, and long-lived. The toxin proteins can survive for a decade in soil, and infect a new host years after it emerged.<p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transmissible_spongiform_encephalopathy" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transmissible_spongiform_encep...</a>
They're all the same in my understanding, just named differently because they have been observed separately before any understanding about PrP existed. And yes, that means they're also all long-lived. These proteins do not decay like more useful molecules or more complex organic matter.
Prion diseases are one of the scarier things I've ever heard about. It is transmissible via fluids, but it can also just happen spontaneously in your body, and once that happens, it's basically a death sentence. There is so far still no cure.<p>If this works, this will be a game changer.