Amyloidosis

National Amyloidosis Centre
The NHS National Amyloidosis Centre is the only UK centre specialising in amyloidosis. We provide a diagnostic and management advice service for UK patients.

Patients with rare heart condition given lifeline
People diagnosed with a life-threatening cardiac condition have been given new hope, thanks to a ground-breaking new drug developed by UCL and the Royal Free Hospital.

Helen Lachmann elected Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences
Professor Lachmann, based at the Royal Free Hospital's National Amyloidosis Centre, said she was honoured to be elected to the Academy.

NICE backs Alnylam's Amvuttra for rare ATTR amyloidosis
Alnylam's gene-silencing drug Amvuttra is set to be made available on the NHS in England and Wales, which Prof. Julian Gillmore describes as a "remarkable step forward".
Our work
Amyloidosis is a disorder of protein folding in which normally soluble proteins accumulate in the tissues as abnormal insoluble fibrils. These deposits damage the structure and function of the tissues and cause serious disease which is usually fatal if it affects major organs.
Our world-leading research covers all aspects of the pentraxin family of plasma proteins and amyloidosis. Our studies range from molecular, genetic, biochemical, physiological, and pathological investigations to clinical diagnostics, patient management and new drug discovery.
We also investigate inflammatory diseases and the major common diseases associated with local amyloid deposits: Alzheimer's disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Professors, Readers, Lecturers and Consultants

Prof. Julian Gillmore
Head of Centre

Prof. Sir Mark Pepys
Director, Wolfson Drug Discovery Unit

Prof. Vittorio Bellotti
Emeritus Professor

Prof. Marianna Fontana
Professor of Cardiology

Prof. Philip Hawkins
Principal Clinical Research Fellow

Prof. Helen Lachmann
Professor of Medicine

Dr Paul Simons
Honorary Professor

Prof. Ashutosh Wechalekar
Professor of Medicine & Haematology

Dr Shameem Mahmood
Consultant Haematologist

Dr Ana Martinez-Naharro
Consultant Cardiologist

Dr Carol Whelan
Honorary Associate Professor

Dr Sriram Ravichandran
Division of Medicine
Selected publications
- Fontana M, Solomon SD, Kachadourian J, Walsh L, Rocha R, Lebwohl D, Smith D, Täubel J, Gane EJ, Pilebro B, Adams D, Razvi Y, Olbertz J, Haagensen A, Zhu P, Xu Y, Leung A, Sonderfan A, Gutstein DE, Gillmore JD. CRISPR-Cas9 Gene Editing with Nexiguran Ziclumeran for ATTR Cardiomyopathy. N Engl J Med. 2024 Nov 16.
- Fontana M, Berk JL, Gillmore JD, Witteles RM, Grogan M, Drachman B, Damy T, Garcia-Pavia P, Taubel J, Solomon SD, Sheikh FH, Tahara N, González-Costello J, Tsujita K, Morbach C, Pozsonyi Z, Petrie MC, Delgado D, Van der Meer P, Jabbour A, Bondue A, Kim D, Azevedo O, Hvitfeldt Poulsen S, Yilmaz A, Jankowska EA, Algalarrondo V, Slugg A, Garg PP, Boyle KL, Yureneva E, Silliman N, Yang L, Chen J, Eraly SA, Vest J, Maurer MS; HELIOS-B Trial Investigators. Vutrisiran in Patients with Transthyretin Amyloidosis with Cardiomyopathy. N Engl J Med. 2024 Aug 30.
- Gillmore JD, Judge DP, Cappelli F, Fontana M, Garcia-Pavia P, Gibbs S, Grogan M, Hanna M, Hoffman J, Masri A, Maurer MS, Nativi-Nicolau J, Obici L, Poulsen SH, Rockhold F, Shah KB, Soman P, Garg J, Chiswell K, Xu H, Cao X, Lystig T, Sinha U, Fox JC; ATTRibute-CM Investigators. Efficacy and Safety of Acoramidis in Transthyretin Amyloid Cardiomyopathy. N Engl J Med. 2024 Jan 11;390(2): 132-142.
- Maurer MS, Kale P, Fontana M, Berk JL, Grogan M, Gustafsson F, Hung RR, Gottlieb RL, Damy T, González-Duarte A, Sarswat N, Sekijima Y, Tahara N, Taylor MS, Kubanek M, Donal E, Palecek T, Tsujita K, Tang WHW, Yu WC, Obici L, Simões M, Fernandes F, Poulsen SH, Diemberger I, Perfetto F, Solomon SD, Di Carli M, Badri P, White MT, Chen J, Yureneva E, Sweetser MT, Jay PY, Garg PP, Vest J, Gillmore JD; APOLLO-B Trial Investigators. Patisiran Treatment in Patients with Transthyretin Cardiac Amyloidosis. N Engl J Med. 2023 Oct 26;389(17): 1553-1565.
- Fontana M, Gilbertson J, Verona G, Riefolo M, Slamova I, Leone O, Rowczenio D, Botcher N, Ioannou A, Patel RK, Razvi Y, Martinez-Naharro A, Whelan CJ, Venneri L, Duhlin A, Canetti D, Ellmerich S, Moon JC, Kellman P, Al-Shawi R, McCoy L, Simons JP, Hawkins PN, Gillmore JD. Antibody-Associated Reversal of ATTR Amyloidosis-Related Cardiomyopathy. N Engl J Med. 2023 Jun 8;388(23): 2199-2201.
- Judge DP, Gillmore JD, Alexander KM, Ambardekar AV, Cappelli F, Fontana M, García-Pavía P, Grodin JL, Grogan M, Hanna M, Masri A, Nativi-Nicolau J, Obici L, Hvitfeldt Poulsen S, Sarswat N, Shah K, Soman P, Lystig T, Cao X, Wang K, Pecoraro ML, Tamby JF, Katz L, Sinha U, Fox JC, Maurer MS. Long-Term Efficacy and Safety of Acoramidis in ATTR-CM: Initial Report From the Open-Label Extension of the ATTRibute-CM Trial. Circulation. 2024 Nov 18.
- Porcari A, Cappelli F, Nitsche C, Tomasoni D, Sinigiani G, Longhi S, Bordignon L, Masri A, Serenelli M, Urey M, Musumeci B, Cipriani A, Canepa M, Badr-Eslam R, Kronberger C, Chimenti C, Zampieri M, Allegro V, Razvi Y, Patel R, Ioannou A, Rauf MU, Petrie A, Whelan C, Emdin M, Metra M, Merlo M, Sinagra G, Hawkins PN, Solomon SD, Gillmore JD, Fontana M. SGLT2 Inhibitor Therapy in Patients With Transthyretin Amyloid Cardiomyopathy. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2024 Jun 18;83(24): 2411-2422.
- Ioannou A, Cappelli F, Emdin M, Nitsche C, Longhi S, Masri A, Cipriani A, Zampieri M, Colio F, Poledniczek M, Porcari A, Razvi Y, Aimo A, Vergaro G, De Michieli L, Rauf MU, Patel RK, Villanueva E, Lustig Y, Venneri L, Martinez-Naharro A, Lachmann H, Wechalekar A, Whelan C, Petrie A, Hawkins PN, Solomon S, Gillmore JD, Fontana M. Stratifying Disease Progression in Patients With Cardiac ATTR Amyloidosis. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2024 Mar 1;83(14): 1276-91.
- Patel RK, Bandera F, Venneri L, Porcari A, Razvi Y, Ioannou A, Chacko L, Martinez-Naharro A, Rauf MU, Knight D, Brown J, Petrie A, Wechalekar A, Whelan C, Lachmann H, Muthurangu V, Guazzi M, Hawkins PN, Gillmore JD, Fontana M. Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing in Evaluating Transthyretin Amyloidosis. JAMA Cardiol. 2024 Apr 1;9(4): 367-376.
- Porcari A, Fontana M, Canepa M, Biagini E, Cappelli F, Gagliardi C, Longhi S, Pagura L, Tini G, Dore F, Bonfiglioli R, Bauckneht M, Miceli A, Girardi F, Martini AL, Barbati G, Costanzo EN, Caponetti AG, Paccagnella A, Sguazzotti M, La Malfa G, Zampieri M, Sciagrà R, Perfetto F, Rowczenio D, Gilbertson J, Hutt DF, Hawkins PN, Rapezzi C, Merlo M, Sinagra G, Gillmore JD. Clinical and Prognostic Implications of Right Ventricular Uptake on Bone Scintigraphy in Transthyretin Amyloid Cardiomyopathy. Circulation. 2024 Apr 9;149(15): 1157-1168.


Funding and partnerships
Our research on amyloidosis and pentraxins received over £18 million from the Medical Research Council between 1969-2016, the longest continuous MRC support to an external researcher (Professor Sir Mark Pepys).
We have received substantial support from The Wolfson Foundation (almost £4 million), The Wellcome Trust (including a £3.8 million Seeding Drug Discovery Initiative Award) and other medical charities. Between 2012 and 2022, core support for the Wolfson Drug Discovery Unit was provided by the NIHR via the UCLH/UCL BRC.
Generous charitable donations by patients and their relatives and friends to the Amyloidosis Research Fund provides flexible non-earmarked resources which are immensely helpful to our fast-moving research.




Awards
- 2007 - Professor Pepys awarded the Royal Society's GlaxoSmithKline Prize and Lecture.
- 2008 - Professor Pepys awarded the Ernst Chain Prize.
- 2012 - Professor Pepys receives a knighthood for services to biomedicine.
Contact
Telephone: Patient/Clinical Enquiries
Centre for Amyloidosis
Division of Medicine (Royal Free Campus)
University College London
Rowland Hill Street, NW3 2PF
- The nearest London Underground station is Belsize Park.
- The nearest national rail station is Hampstead Heath (London Overground).
The Centre is on the Lower Third Floor of the Medical School. Access is via the lifts in the entrance hall of the Medical School on Rowland Hill Street.