Name: My quest to cure prion disease — before it's too late
Uploaded: 2024-05-30T14:52:38Z
Duration: 18 min 6 s
Description: Biomedical researcher Sonia Vallabh's life was turned upside down when she learned she had the genetic mutation for a rare and fatal illness, prion disease, that could strike at any time. Thirteen years later, her search for a cure has led to new insights about how to catch and prevent disease — and how to honor our grandest, most mysterious inheritance: our brains.

Biomedical researcher Sonia Vallabh's life was turned upside down when she learned she had the genetic mutation for a rare and fatal illness, prion disease, that could strike at any time. Thirteen years later, her search for a cure has led to new insights about how to catch and prevent disease — and how to honor our grandest, most mysterious inheritance: our brains.

My quest to cure prion disease — before it's too late

A single inherited genetic typo put one woman at 50-50 risk for prion disease, a rapidly fatal illness that kills by destroying the brain in months. Facing this diagnosis led her and her partner to change careers and devote themselves to developing a prevention, not just a cure. Their work reveals that stopping disease before it starts is possible and necessary, especially for conditions where the brain’s unique vulnerability leaves no second chances. Along the way, their story celebrates the messy grace of facing uncertainty and building meaning out of loss.