Univ Old Member, the critically acclaimed film and stage actor Michael York, OBE (1961) has launched RENEWAL (Research Exploring New Amyloidosis Learning) a new initiative to call attention to amyloidosis.

Critically acclaimed film and stage actor Michael York, OBE (1961, English) and Paul McComas, MA, an award-winning author and philanthropist, launched an initiative they named RENEWAL (Research Exploring New Amyloidosis Learning) to call attention to amyloidosis, a rare disease that occurs when abnormal proteins called amyloid build up in the body.

Depending on the organs involved, amyloidosis can cause fatigue, heart failure, liver and kidney damage. Treatment includes chemotherapy, steroids, and sometimes a stem cell transplant. The disease, while relatively rare, has devastating effects on patients. The goals of the RENEWAL programme are to increase awareness about amyloidosis, provide support and validation to amyloidosis patients and their families, and to encourage donations to fund research that will identify new treatments and, with time, a cure.

Watch a film about Amyloidosis Awareness, narrated by Michael York, here.

Michael York is an actor whose films include Cabaret, Murder on the Orient Express and Austin Powers, and author of Accidentally on Purpose and A Shakespearean Actor Prepares.

Published: 12 April 2016

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