Amyloidosis News and Research

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Amyloidosis is the term applied to a group of conditions caused by deposits of an abnormal protein called amyloid. This rare but serious condition affects between 1 and 5 people in every 100,000 each year in the UK. The condition is mainly seen among the elderly.

Study: TTR protein plays a protective role in Alzheimer's disease

A protein that wreaks havoc in the nerves and heart when it clumps together can prevent the formation of toxic protein clumps associated with Alzheimer's disease, a new study led by a UT Southwestern researcher shows.

8 Jan 2021

Scoring system can help improve the diagnosis of concomitant heart diseases

Aortic stenosis is one of the most common heart valve defects. Its prevalence increases with age and it often requires treatment.

24 Nov 2020

Researchers develop new scoring system to screen for dual heart disease

Aortic stenosis is one of the most common heart valve defects. Its prevalence increases with age and it often requires treatment.

24 Nov 2020

Study confirms link between gut microbiota and Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia. Still incurable, it directly affects nearly one million people in Europe, and indirectly millions of family members as well as society as a whole.

16 Nov 2020

Underrepresented minorities are at increased risk for AL amyloidosis

Despite being theoretically at an increased risk for AL amyloidosis, underrepresented minorities make up only a small percentage of patients seen at specialized treatment centers for this disease.

11 Nov 2020

Simple blood test may be a great advance for people with and at risk for Alzheimer's

A simple blood test for Alzheimer's would be a great advance for individuals with -; and at risk for -; the disease, families, doctors and researchers.

28 Jul 2020

Newly identified gene variants in Black Americans could lead to precision prostate cancer therapies

Black men in the United States are known to suffer disproportionately from prostate cancer, but few studies have investigated whether genetic differences in prostate tumors could have anything to do with these health disparities.

11 Jul 2020

Newly discovered Alzheimer's gene may drive earliest brain changes

A newly discovered Alzheimer's gene may drive the first appearance of amyloid plaques in the brain, according to a study led by researchers at Columbia University Irving Medical Center.

22 Jun 2020

Long-term care facilities are a major driver of total COVID-19 deaths

Long-term care facilities (LTCFs) are a major driver of total COVID-19 deaths. Reported today in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, Boston Medical Center (BMC) and Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) geriatricians Rossana Lau-Ng, Lisa Caruso and Thomas Perls studied the past month's case and death data reported by the Massachusetts Department of Health's COVID-19 daily Dashboard along with data provided by the Kaiser Family Foundation and other countries.

5 Jun 2020

Takeda to present oncology pipeline data at upcoming virtual scientific congresses

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited today announced that the company will present data from its expanding oncology pipeline and established product portfolio at two upcoming virtual scientific congresses: the 56th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, May 29-31 and the 25th Virtual Congress of the European Hematology Association, June 11-14.

18 May 2020

Study of rare genetic disorder that causes severe eyesight problems

Nagano prefecture is home to a group of people effected with a rare genetic neurodegenerative disorder called familial amyloid polyneuropathies. This disease impacts the gene encoding protein transthyretin which is produced in the liver and also eyes.

3 Apr 2020

Study identifies a mutation that triggers deadly amyloidosis

Bone marrow plasma cells produce antibodies. These comprise two long and two short protein chains. The pathological proliferation of plasma cells can lead to an overproduction of the short chains.

10 Mar 2020

Plant-based relatives of cholesterol could boost gene-infused nanoparticle delivery

Gene-infused nanoparticles used for combating disease work better when they include plant-based relatives of cholesterol because their shape and structure help the genes get where they need to be inside cells.

20 Feb 2020

Daratumumab proves effective in patients with relapsed AL amyloidosis

There's a new treatment option available for patients with AL amyloidosis: daratumumab. Studied in a prospective clinical trial, only one of the two clinical trials of this agent in AL amyloidosis worldwide, researchers have found this anti-cancer drug to be well tolerated and effective in patients with relapsed AL amyloidosis when used with appropriate pre- and post-infusion medications.

27 Jan 2020

Genetic variant mainly found in individuals of African ancestry increases odds of heart failure

A genetic variant in the gene transthyretin (TTR)- which is found in about 3 percent of individuals of African ancestry- is a more significant cause of heart failure than previously believed, according to a multi-institution study led by researchers at Penn Medicine.

10 Dec 2019

Study identifies genetic variation linked to heart failure risk in people of African, Latino ancestry

A genetic variation believed to increase risk for heart failure in people of African or Latino ancestry has been identified in a new study by researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

9 Dec 2019

Novel amyloid protein that induces amyloidosis discovered

A collaboration led by scientists at Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Japan, has discovered a novel amyloid protein that induces amyloidosis in rats.

25 Oct 2019

Study aims to achieve earlier diagnosis of ATTR cardiac amyloidosis in minority populations

Researchers at Boston Medical Center and Boston University School of Medicine, in collaboration with Columbia University Irving Medical Center, are leading a national, multi-site study aimed to achieve earlier diagnosis of transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis.

4 Sep 2019

Researchers identify possible role of polyphosphate in dialysis-related amyloidosis

Long-term dialysis treatment is tough on the body in many ways, but one of the most serious complications is dialysis-related amyloidosis, a disease characterized by abnormal buildup of protein aggregates—called amyloid fibrils—in joints, tissues and organs.

8 Jul 2019

Study provides new insights into key beneficial function of small ancient protein

Cell boundaries are made of lipids. When cells are severely damaged, these lipids need to be rapidly removed to avoid toxicity and facilitate tissue healing. Researchers have discovered that a small ancient protein, Serum Amyloid A (SAA), plays a previously unknown key role in this vital process.

21 May 2019