Jason Bartz, Ph.D.

Jason Bartz, Ph.D.

Creighton University School of Medicine

Jason Bartz, Ph.D., has been actively involved in the prion field for over 25 years. His research has investigated interspecies transmission, pathogenesis and the biology of prion strains. Bartz and his research team have developed novel whole animal and in vitro models of prion disease; more importantly, the results from these systems have impacted the understanding of prions.

The results of their work have changed the paradigm of how a protein encoded infectious agent can encode strain diversity, which has significant impact on prion diseases and other protein misfolding diseases (e.g., Parkinson’s disease) where strain diversity has recently been observed. They are also actively involved in exploring prion pathogenesis and have identified novel routes of prion infection and the pathways that prions travel to the CNS. Importantly, Bartz was the first to show that inhalation of prions is more efficient than oral infection.

More recently, Bartz and colleagues have leveraged their expertise in prion biology with their collaborators in environmental science and have made fundamental discoveries on how prions interact with the environment and how this influences the biology of prion disease. Overall, they have integrated their work on prion strains, pathogenesis and the environmental fate of prions, providing a unique insight into the biology of prions.