system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5 Why all prion-caused illnesses are incurable and have a 100% mortality rate?
gpt
Prions are misfolded proteins (same sequence of amino acids but a different 3-d shape) the regular version of a protein exists in your body and is needed for normal function. So the question is how do you destroy something that is almost identical to another protein you need. Additionally the prions dont do any jobs they just clog up a cell and convert regular proteins to prions. All these things combine to cause serious problems especially in the brain where areas clogged with prions are segmented and die to to lack of functional proteins causeing death.