Apple-green birefringence of fibrillar protein deposits is the sine qua non of amyloidosis. To type amyloid fibrils and guide appropriate therapeutic decision-making, a variety of specialized techniques may be employed, collectively here termed “amyloidomics.” These include immunologic techniques such as immunohistochemistry or immuno-electron microscopy; genomics techniques including analysis of restriction fragment linked polymorphisms (RFLPs), single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), or gene sequencing; or mass spectrometry-based proteomics techniques such as the one described by Brambilla et al in this issue.1 (Examples of diagnostic techniques courtesy of Drs Skinner, Connors, O'Hara, Costello, and colleagues in the Gerry Amyloid Reference Laboratory at Boston Medical Center.)
