Catherine,
We process Prion suspicious specimens by hand, but this should be done under a 
hood, using total CJD precautions.  I assume this is what you meant by "prion 
pathogenesis". I use disposable beakers and would not recommend doing it on the 
benchtop! I have a separate hood which is used for possible CJD cases only (an 
old microtome and complete sectioning setup is under the same hood.  NOTHING is 
done on the benchtop when it comes to prions. hope this helps.
LuAnn