Kochi’s Amrita Hospital launched India's first Center of Excellence for the evaluation and treatment of patients with suspected or established amyloidosis.

The center offers a range of clinical and investigative services, including detailed clinical assessment, comprehensive hematological investigations, advanced cardiac imaging facilities, technetium pyrophosphate scintigraphy, genomic testing, mass spectrometry facilities, chemotherapy, bone marrow transplantation, and state-of-the-art research facilities.

During the launch the center, Dr Ron Witteles, co-director, Stanford Amyloid Centre said, “Amrita Amyloid Centre is a great opportunity to expand the reach of diagnosis and treatment of the disease. The time is now. Amyloidosis is still a very under recognized disease.”

“There are so many new diagnostic modalities, growing therapeutic options, and an explosion of clinical trials. It also has a multidisciplinary nature. In order to be able to deliver the best care, we need to work with different disciplines. The future is very bright as the outcome will continue to improve,” he added.

“The setting up of the Amrita Amyloid Center marks a significant milestone in healthcare, as it is the first amyloid center of excellence in India to offer comprehensive investigational and therapeutic facilities, with a mandate to become the fountainhead of amyloid research in the region,” Dr Witteles.

 Dr Hisham Ahamed, Department of Cardiology, Amrita Hospital, Kochi, observes that the launch is integral as the hospital continues to change the entire dynamic of healthcare delivery in Kerala and at large in India.

“Amyloidosis is not as rare as what it once thought to be in India. As it is a multisystemic disease, patients often fail to get the right diagnosis at the right time. The major advantage of having a focused and dedicated advanced amyloid center of excellence is to have all of the expertise under one cohesive service,” he added.

“Thus, the patients can be treated in a structured and comprehensive way similar to the dedicated Amyloid Centers in Europe and North America. Over the past three years, we have an active amyloid working group which is coordinated by haemato - oncology and cardiology. We have all the components to evaluate an amyloid patient or a suspected amyloid patient with a systematic multi-disciplinary evaluation,” Dr Ahamed explained.

“The process also involves reliably risk stratifying patients, aided by state-of-the-art investigational tools, which enable delivery of standard of care” he said.  

 As per the statement of Amrita Hospital, Amyloidosis is a family of diseases caused by the misfolding, aggregation, and accumulation of specific proteins in tissues, resulting in abnormal protein aggregates known as amyloid deposits. In the past fourteen years, approximately 150 people have been diagnosed with amyloidosis in Amrita Hospital.

The hospital said that considering the complexity of the disease, most of the patients receive treatments at the advanced stages. Early and accurate diagnosis, as well as timely intervention, can help achieve better patient outcomes.