Amyloid fibrils are a polymeric form of protein, involving a continuous β-sheet with the
strands perpendicular to the long axis of the fibril. Although typically implicated in diseases
such as Alzheimer's disease and the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, non
disease-associated protein can also be converted into amyloid fibrils. Traditionally, amyloid
fibrils are identified via the use of specific dyes such as Congo red and thioflavin-T, although
their specificity is ill understood. Recently, solutions of bovine insulin and bovine β …