Transthyretin Amyloidosis Can Spontaneously Reverse

Transthyretin can produce amyloid, a harmful misfolded form of the protein that aggregates in the cardiovascular system and contributes to forms of heart disease. Clearing the build up of these aggregates is a work in progress. A variety of therapies entered the market in recent years, but have yet to make the leap to widespread preventative use in the broader population of older individuals. Cost is one factor. In this context, it is interesting to note a report of spontaneous reversal of transthyretin amyloidosis in a small number of individuals, likely mediated by immune clearance of amyloid, as the condition is not viewed as one in which this sort of recovery is possible. Transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTR) is caused by amyloid deposits composed of a blood protein called transthyretin (TTR). It can be hereditary or non-hereditary ("wild-type"). The build-up of these protein deposits in the heart is called ATTR amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM). Current treatments aim to relieve the symptoms of heart failure, but do not tackle the amyloid, although a number of "gene-silencing" therapies are currently being trialed which reduce TTR protein concentration in the blood and thereby slow ongoing amyloid formation. Advances in imaging techniques has meant substantially more people being diagnosed with the disease than was the case 20 years ago. Previously, diagnosis needed a biopsy (involving tissue taken from the heart). The imaging techniques also mean the burden of...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs