What is Amyloidosis?

Amyloidosis is a term for diseases that have in common the extracellular deposition of insoluble fibrillar proteins in tissues and organs. These are part of a growing group of diseases now thought to be caused by misfolding of proteins.  The Amyloidosis Center studies the systemic types of amyloidoses defined under amyloid types.  Other forms of amyloidosis include Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases, prion diseases, serpinopathies, some of the cystic fibrosis, and others. A unifying feature of the amyloidoses is that the deposits share a common ß-pleated sheet structural conformation that confers unique staining properties.

Abdominal fat aspirate stained with Congo red and viewed under polarization microscopy showing green birefringence.
Abdominal fat aspirate stained with Congo red and viewed under polarization microscopy showing green birefringence.