About the Authors

Thomas Zerbes

Roles Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Methodology, Project administration, Software, Supervision, Validation, Visualization, Writing – review & editing

Affiliations Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Claire Verkuyl

Roles Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Methodology, Software, Validation, Visualization, Writing – review & editing

Affiliations Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Cunjie Zhang

Roles Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Methodology, Software, Supervision, Validation, Visualization, Writing – review & editing

Affiliation Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Sophie Grunnesjoe

Roles Data curation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Methodology, Software, Validation, Visualization, Writing – review & editing

Affiliations Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Shehab Eid

Roles Investigation, Methodology, Project administration, Supervision, Writing – review & editing

Affiliations Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Hamza Arshad

Roles Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Funding acquisition, Investigation, Methodology, Project administration, Supervision, Validation, Writing – review & editing

Affiliation Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Wenda Zhao

Roles Data curation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Methodology, Project administration, Supervision, Validation, Visualization, Writing – review & editing

Affiliations Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Zahra Nasser

Roles Data curation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Methodology, Writing – review & editing

Affiliations Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Teaghan O’Shea

Roles Data curation, Methodology, Software, Visualization, Writing – review & editing

Affiliations Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Ari Bel

Roles Data curation, Investigation, Methodology, Writing – review & editing

Affiliations Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Lise Lamoureux

Roles Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Methodology, Validation, Visualization, Writing – review & editing

Affiliation Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Kathy L. Frost

Roles Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Methodology, Software, Validation, Visualization, Writing – review & editing

Affiliation Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Jennifer Myskiw

Roles Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Methodology, Software, Validation, Visualization, Writing – review & editing

Affiliation Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Le yao Li

Roles Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Methodology, Resources, Software, Validation, Visualization, Writing – review & editing

Affiliations Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Erica Stuart

Roles Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Methodology, Resources, Supervision, Validation, Visualization, Writing – review & editing

Affiliation Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Holger Wille

Roles Funding acquisition, Methodology, Resources, Supervision, Visualization, Writing – review & editing

Affiliation Department of Biochemistry & Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Stephanie Booth

Roles Conceptualization, Data curation, Funding acquisition, Investigation, Project administration, Resources, Supervision, Writing – review & editing

Affiliation Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Joel C. Watts

Roles Formal analysis, Funding acquisition, Project administration, Resources, Supervision, Writing – review & editing

Affiliations Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Gerold Schmitt-Ulms

Roles Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Funding acquisition, Investigation, Methodology, Project administration, Resources, Supervision, Validation, Visualization, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing

g.schmittulms@utoronto.ca

Affiliations Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Competing Interests

We have read the journal’s policy and the authors of this manuscript have the following competing interests: GS has filed an international patent application titled ‘Treatment of prion diseases using gene therapy’ (WO 2025/260196 A1) published under the patent cooperation treaty (PCT) based on innovations embedded in this manuscript and is engaged in the early development of a startup with a mandate to advance a treatment for prion diseases to the clinic. TZ, HA, WZ, and TO are unpaid contributors and JW and HW are unpaid scientific advisers to this same effort. This does not alter our adherence to PLOS policies on sharing data and materials.