Even though this was test-tube research and the new strain has not yet been shown to be infectious in animals, the scientists involved say it offers important clues as to how prion diseases cross between species.
Flintoff, who has a muscle strain in his right hip, hopes to return for the fifth Test in the Caribbean, which starts on Friday, 6 March, and the Twenty20 match and five one-day internationals that run from 20 March to 3 April.