Discussion
When considering this hypothesis, one may also consider out
of an abundance of caution as to whether injection, ingestion,
or other exposure to substances containing component(s) of the above
described lipid-carrier initiator unit could, in a percentage of those exposed, lead to initiation of protein misfolding or to the spread
and propagation of existing misfolded protein presently localized at the
site of exposure, and ultimately lead to the development of clinical
prion disease. This outcome might be considered of theoretical concern even if only one of the above components of the lipid-carrier initiator prion unit is delivered as a result of
exogenous, environmental, or iatrogenic intervention, because the others
may be present in vivo already due to natural conditions in the
exposed tissue. In addition, possible protein-misfolding related effects may be considered when
assessing and optimizing safety of the many liposomal and
nanoparticle products that are being developed in modern science.