The misfolding of proteins is now recognized to be the origin of a large number of medical disorders. One particularly important group of such disorders is associated with the aggregation of misfolded proteins into amyloid structures, and includes conditions ranging from Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases to type II diabetes. Such conditions already affect over 500 million people in the world, a number that is rising rapidly, and at present these disorders cannot be effectively treated or prevented. This review provides an overview of this field of science and discusses recent progress in understanding the nature and properties of the amyloid state, the kinetics and mechanism governing its formation, the origins of its links with disease, and the manner in which its formation may be inhibited or suppressed. This latter topic is of particular importance, both to enhance our knowledge of the maintenance of protein homeostasis in living organisms and also to address the development of therapeutic strategies through which to combat the loss of homeostasis and the associated onset and progression of disease.

中文翻译：

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淀粉样蛋白现象及其在生物学和医学中的意义。

蛋白质的错误折叠现在被认为是大量医学疾病的根源。一组特别重要的此类疾病与错误折叠的蛋白质聚集成淀粉样蛋白结构有关，包括从阿尔茨海默病和帕金森病到 II 型糖尿病的各种疾病。这种疾病已经影响了世界上超过 5 亿人，而且这个数字还在迅速上升，目前这些疾病无法得到有效的治疗或预防。本综述概述了这一科学领域，并讨论了在了解淀粉样蛋白状态的性质和性质、控制其形成的动力学和机制、其与疾病联系的起源以及其形成方式方面的最新进展。抑制或抑制。