-
- Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
- Visit this site to learn more about cystic fibrosis and the
attempts to develop a treatment for this disease.
- Tay-Sachs Disease
- Lysosomes are the organelles of intra-cellular digestion--they
break down things inside the cell. In Tay-Sachs disease, a certain
protein is missing from the lysosomes. As a result, some fatty
substances cannot be broken down. Instead, these substances build
up and destroy brain and nerve cells. This NIH site will provide
you with more information on the disease and research on treatment.
- Gauchers Disease
- This is another disease in which the lysosomes malfunction. In this case, they are unable to break down glucocerebroside, another fatty substance. As you'll see when you visit this site, there's lots of research into treatments for this disease.
Cellular Research
Chapter 3 - Cell Structure and Function
Disruptions of cellular function can cause terrible health problems. For example, the genetic disease cystic fibrosis disrupts the movement of sodium ions across the cell membrane, resulting in life-threatening problems in the lungs and the digestive system. To learn more about various diseases that stem from problems with cells and the research aimed at preventing, treating, and curing them, visit the following sites:
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