New insights into amyloid light-chain (AL) amyloidosis have emerged in recent years. Here, Giampaolo Merlini, MD, from the University of Pavia, Paiva, Italy, gives an overview of the mechanisms behind this rare condition at the 1st European Myeloma Network Meeting (EMN), in Turin, Italy. Dr Merlini then discusses the importance of biomarkers in the reflection of pathogenic mechanisms of AL amyloidosis, highlighting key biomarkers, such as NT-proBNP and GDF-15.