Stanley B. Prusiner (Nobel Laureate)

Stanley B. Prusiner is an American neurologist and biochemist best known for his discovery of prions, which are infectious agents composed solely of protein. Unlike bacteria or viruses, prions cause diseases by inducing abnormal folding of normal proteins in the brain, leading to severe neurological disorders. His groundbreaking work earned him the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1997. Prusiner's research has significantly advanced our understanding of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, highlighting the role of protein misfolding in health and disease.