Adrenoleukodystrophy Essay

Adrenoleukodystrophy is a type of genetic condition brought about by the lack of the functional organelle peroxisomes. ALD damages the membrane that wraps around the nerve cells in the brain. Adrenoleukodystrophy, or ALD, is a deadly disease that is estimated to affect 1 in 17,000 newborns, and starting in 2015, some states in the U.S. have added a simple blood test to detect ALD at birth. It affects boys and men. ALD is most apparent in children between the ages of four and ten. Young males seem to be healthy and normal when they begin to show problems with regression of their normal activities. At first, ALD begins with behavioral problems or difficulty concentrating. As the ALD disease progresses and damages the brain, the symptoms start to get

Lorenzo’s oil and stem cell transplants are the current two treatments for ALD. The stem cell transplants use either bone marrow stem cells or umbilical cord stem cells. Neither of these methods can fix the problems that have been caused by ALD once it has started. A treatment would have to be made that could restore the myelin that was lost to repair the damage. The most famous treatment is Lorenzo’s oil which is a mixture of two fats from olive oil and rapeseed oil. Mr. and Mrs. Odone developed this oil to treat their son, Lorenzo, after he was diagnosed with ALD in 1982 (“What is ALD”). The mixture of fatty acids in the oil work to reduce the levels of very long chains of fatty acids which cause ALD (“What is ALD”). Boys with ALD, who measure below 8 or 9 on their MRI, are candidates for stem cell transplants. The intention is to provide the patient with good stem cells that will produce a ALD protein that will function in the correct manor. Scientist believes that the transplant will work as a part of the transplants cells, that are not