John Berk, MD

Dr. Berk is a Professor of Medicine and Assistant Director of the Amyloidosis Center at Boston University Medical Center, specializing in familial transthyretin and lung amyloidosis. Dr. Berk is also affiliated with the Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine Service at Boston University School of Medicine. He received his medical degree from Case Western Reserve University and completed his residency program in Internal Medicine at University Hospitals of Cleveland including his time as Chief Resident of Internal Medicine. Dr. Berk completed his Fellowship in Pulmonary Medicine at Boston University School of Medicine and was a Research Fellow at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Dr. Berk has focused on drug development for ATTR amyloidosis for more than 15 years. Dr. Berk designed and conducted the first international randomized controlled trial for familial amyloid polyneuropathy. The study design also established a blueprint for subsequent ATTR amyloid neuropathy trials that subsequently led to two FDA- approved TTR gene silencing drugs. Dr. Berk serves on two Scientific Advisory Boards on the development of gene editing applications for ATTR amyloidosis and the development of TTR stabilizing drugs for leptomeningeal amyloidosis. Dr. Berk also described low-dose, external beam radiation to treat tracheobronchial amyloidosis, inducing apoptosis of clonal plasma cells generating airway amyloid, a non-surgical option for disease management.