In a study published in Neurology, a group from Alnylam Pharmaceuticals used large-scale protein screening assays to simultaneously analyse many proteins in large numbers of patient serum samples.

This cutting-edge approach allowed them to discover a novel biomarker of hereditary transthyretin-mediated (ATTRv) amyloidosis disease onset and progression.

ATTRv amyloidosis, caused by mutation of the transthyretin protein is a rare, adult-onset disease characterised by the accumulation of amyloid fibrils throughout the body, leading to progressive debilitation and death.