Research aim: Our aim is to improve and refine mass spectrometry-based methods for amyloidosis subtyping.
Amyloidosis is a spectrum of disorders caused by abnormal folding and extracellular deposition of proteins. These protein deposits lead to tissue damage and impair the function of organs, particularly in the heart and kidneys. There are at least 40 different proteins that can cause amyloidosis, and the most frequent ones include kappa and lambda light-chain immunoglobulins, serum amyloid A, and transthyretin. Clinical management depends entirely on the specific protein deposited and thus often requires high-risk therapeutic intervention.
Application of mass spectrometry–based proteomic technologies for analysis of amyloid plaques has transformed the way amyloidosis is diagnosed and has become the gold standard for amyloidosis subtyping in many amyloidosis-specialized diagnostic centers worldwide.
If you want to know more, please consult www.amyloidose.dk
Projects
- Assessment of minimal residual disease in multiple myeloma in amyloidosis patients by MS-based proteomics
- Blood biomarkers predictive of ATTR amyloidosis.
Available infrastructures and competences
Available infrastructures for mass spectrometry-based clinical diagnosis of amyloidosis includes fully equipped pathological laboratory for the preparation of sections for staining amyloid-positive biopsies, laser-microdissection facilities for precise laser dissection of biopsies and supporting confirmatory immune-electron microscopy analysis for the detection of amyloid fibrils.
Collaborators
Our work with diagnosis of amyloidosis using mass spectrometry is carried out in close collaboration with clinicians from the Odense Amyloidosis Center (AmyC) at Odense University Hospital and also with members of the European Proteomics Amyloidosis Network (EPAN).
Selected publications
- An Accelerated Sonication-Assisted Preparation method for mass spectrometry-based identification of subtype specific amyloidogenic proteins in fat aspirates. Nicolai Bjødstrup Palstrøm, Caroline Alqvist Lindegaard, Aleksandra Rojek, Amanda Jessica Campbell, Charlotte Toftmann Hansen, Hanne EH Møller, Niels Abildgaard, Hans Christian Beck. Amyloid, 2025; 33(1): 94-97.
- Combined Subcutaneous Fat Aspirate and Skin Tru-Cut Biopsy for Amyloid Screening in Patients with Suspected Systemic Amyloidosis. Hansen CT, Møller HE, Rojek AM, Marcussen N, Beck HC, Abildgaard N. Molecules. 2021;26(12):3649
- Immunoelectron microscopy and mass spectrometry for classification of amyloid deposits Abildgaard N, Rojek AM, Møller HE, Palstrøm NB, Nyvold CG, Rasmussen LM, et al.. Amyloid. 2020;27(1):59-66.