Investment in Research Saves Lives and Money - Amyloidosis

Amyloidosis can be localized or systemic, and it can be acquired or genetically inherited. The most common types include AL, which is caused by the malformation or "misfolding" of proteins produced by the bone marrow; AA, which relates to a protein that the body produces in response to inflammatory conditions like rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease; Ab2-M, which usually occurs during end stage kidney failure after a patient has been on dialysis for many years; and ATTR, which involves a protein produced in the liver.

ATTR amyloidosis can be hereditary (hATTR) or wild type (wtATTR), which is not genetically inherited. Amyloidosis can be life-threatening, and despite remarkable advances in treatments due to recent research, there is currently no cure.