Cardiac Amyloidosis

With the first drug treatments for cardiac amyloidosis recently entering the market, there has been an explosion of interest to diagnose and care for these patients. It is considered a rare disease, but many experts now say it is actually just be under diagnosed. The disease is caused by protein misfolding. Normally soluble proteins in the bloodstream become insoluble and deposit abnormally in the tissues and organs throughout the body. There are three main kinds of amyloid that affect the heart, light chain amyloid (AL) and two types of transthyretin amyloid (ATTR or TTR). The first type of ATTR is hereditary, or familial amyloid, and the second is wild type, or age-related TTR amyloid. Nuclear imaging, echocardiography, CT and MRI all play roles in diagnosing amyloid and in determining the subtype, which is required for targeted treatment. 

artificial intelligence AI heart cardiology

FDA clears new AI model for detecting signs of cardiac amyloidosis

This is the second FDA clearance in two weeks for Massachusetts-based Anumana. The company's AI models are built to evaluate ECG results for signs of various cardiovascular conditions.

Prem Soman, MD, director of the Cardiac Amyloidosis Center and nuclear cardiology, and associate chief of cardiology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Heart and Vascular Institute presented the late-breaking results from the long-term survival benefits and disease stabilization with the drug acoramidis in patients with transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy at ACC 2026.

Long-term cardiac amyloidosis survival benefits seen in extension acoramidis trial

Patient outcomes clearly show acoramidis reduces both all-cause mortality and cardiovascular hospitalizations, but the study also reinforced the importance of early diagnosis and prompt medical therapy. 
 

cardiac amyloidosis on bone scan

Shortage of cardiac amyloidosis radiotracers should ease in late March

However, the regular supply of these imaging radiotracers may not be back online for another few months.

cardiac amyloidosis on bone scan

ASNC reports shortage of cardiac amyloidosis radiotracers

The two vendors involved say supplies of PYP and HDP could be disrupted for months.

PET-CT imaging of 124-I evuzamitide and SPECT-CT imaging of 99mTc-p5+14 showed radiotracer uptake in both AL and ATTR amyloid throughout the myocardium. Emily B. Martin, Anne Kassira, Alan Stuckey, et al. A tale of two tracers - Amyloid imaging with investigational radiotracers iodine (124I) evuzamitide and 99mTc-p5+14 (AT-05). https://www.journalofnuclearcardiology.org/article/S1071-3581(25)00325-3/abstract.

Bayer expands into molecular imaging with cardiac amyloidosis tracer acquisitions

Bayer is acquiring two cardiac amyloidosis radiotracers from Attralus, one for PET and one for SPECT. The SPECT tracer is also a theranostic agent to both image and treat amyloidosis.

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Clinical trials paused due to heart patient’s hospitalization

Intellia Therapeutics paused clinical trials for ATTR-CM and ATTR-PN after a patient was hospitalized due to a significant liver injury. 

Nuclear cardiology is entering a new era—one that goes well beyond the traditional focus on myocardial perfusion imaging. According to Marcelo Di Carli, MD, editor-in-chief of the Journal of Nuclear Cardiology and chief of the Division of Nuclear Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, the field is rapidly expanding into diagnosing and monitoring complex cardiac diseases such as amyloidosis, sarcoidosis, myocarditis, and cardiac infections.

Nuclear cardiology expands beyond perfusion imaging as it enters a new era

Beyond amyloidosis, nuclear cardiology is also increasingly used to image inflammation and infection in the myocardium, especially in diseases such as cardiac sarcoidosis and myocarditis.

Prem Soman, MD, PhD, FACC, FRCP, past president of the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology (ASNC), the Richard S. Caligiuri Endowed Chair in Amyloidosis and Heart Failure, director of the Cardiac Amyloidosis Center, director of nuclear cardiology, and a professor of medicine, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Heart and Vascular Institute. He is presenting the keynote Mario Verani Memorial Lecture at ASNC 2025, where he will discuss transforming cardiac amyloidosis care.

How nuclear cardiology has transformed care for cardiac amyloidosis

Prem Soman, MD, PhD, explained how early detection and new therapies have been game-changers for the treatment and diagnosis of cardiac amyloidosis.