Gaucher disease: achievements and prospects

Abstract

Gaucher disease (GD) is the most common lysosomal storage disorder, resulting from a deficiency in the activity of a lysosomal enzyme glucocerebrosidase, which is involved in the catabolism of sphingolipids. The phenomenal progress in understanding the pathogenesis and development of specific therapy of this disease over the past 60 years dramatically changed the clinical phenotype of GD, turning a severe progressive disorder into an asymptomatic metabolic defect. The evolution of the understanding of GD associated with fundamental discoveries in the field of cell biology, biochemistry and genetics may be of interest to a wide audience as a model of the effective work of the scientific community in the treatment of rare metabolic pathology.

Keywords

• gaucher disease
• lysosomal storage diseases
• glucocerebrosidase
• enzyme replacement therapy