Currently, there is no cure for amyloidosis, a life-threatening disease that can be present throughout the body, including the heart, kidneys, liver and brain. The most common localized form of amyloidosis, which is seen significantly more often, is in the brain. Cerebral amyloidosis, when symptomatic, usually manifests in one of two ways: in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias and in brain bleeds, which have consequences such as a stroke.
Because amyloidosis does not affect a specific organ, unraveling the underlying cause of amyloid fibril creation – a hallmark of this disease – is complex and challenging.
A monumental $11.5 million gift from Boca Raton philanthropists Ann and John Wood of the FairfaxWood Scholarship Foundation, will enable Florida Atlantic University’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine to create a game-changing infrastructure that will combat amyloidosis using a collaborative, whole-body approach.
This transformational gift will establish the FairfaxWood Health & Innovation Technology Initiative, which will focus on the FAU Amyloidosis Project. The initiative will be built on a collaboration model comprising clinicians, researchers and world-class institutes. The multi-disciplinary team will work collectively to uncover the root causes of the formation of amyloid fibrils throughout the body, including the brain, which can be difficult to treat.
Harnessing the power of artificial intelligence and cutting-edge data science, the initiative will de-silo single organ-focused researchers and clinicians who will conduct research to seek treatments and ultimately find a cure for amyloidosis. In the distant horizon, the unique infrastructure created through this initiative could evolve into a permanent research resource to provide opportunities for vital work on other devastating illnesses.
