As it has been well established that RBM3 safeguards neurons and ameliorates phenotypes in prion disease and hypoxic-ischemic brain injury mouse models by facilitating neuronal structural plasticity, preventing cell death, and promoting neurogenesis10,33, we subsequently investigated whether stabilizing rG4 structures by increasing intracellular potassium concentration with 4-AP, a clinically approved compound, could provide the neuroprotective effects in a hemin-induced hemorrhagic cell model50. This evidence concerns the gene UNC119 and prion disease.