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Viruses – Cellular Pirates - Daytona State College · newly-discovered disease with no cure and...
Transcript of Viruses – Cellular Pirates - Daytona State College · newly-discovered disease with no cure and...
The Academic Support Center @ Daytona State College (Science 86 Page 1 of 23)
LORENZO’S OIL
S C I E N C E M O V I E N I G H T
The Academic Support Center @ Daytona State College (Science 86 Page 3 of 23)
Details: Year: 1992
Rated: PG-13
Parental Rating: Cautionary; some scenes objectionable
Running Time: 135 min.
Released By: Universal
Awards: Academy Award Nominee: Best Actress - Susan Sarandon
Academy Award Nominee: Best Original Screenplay – George Miller
Cast: Nick Nolte: Augusto Odone
Susan Sarandon: Michaela Odone
Peter Ustinov: Professor Nikolais
Zack O'Malley Greenburg: Lorenzo
The Academic Support Center @ Daytona State College (Science 86 Page 4 of 23)
• Lorenzo’s Oil is based on the true story of a six year old
boy named Lorenzo Odone, who begins to exhibit the
symptoms of an extremely rare disease called
Adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD).
• When he was first diagnosed in 1984, ALD was still a
newly-discovered disease with no cure and extremely
limited available research.
• Lorenzo’s parents, Augusto and Michaela Odone, decide
to conduct their own research in a desperate attempt to
locate a cure for their son’s disease.
The Academic Support Center @ Daytona State College (Science 86 Page 5 of 23)
Sex chromosome
Defective chromosome
Affected
• an X chromosome-linked (sex-linked)
recessive disease
• passed from mothers to sons through
a defective X chromosome
The Academic Support Center @ Daytona State College (Science 86 Page 6 of 23)
• The defective chromosome inhibits the function of the specific
enzyme that breaks down very long chain saturated fatty acids
(VLCSFA), causing them to accumulate in the nervous system.
VLCSFA’s
= C24 & C26
The Academic Support Center @ Daytona State College (Science 86 Page 7 of 23)
• accumulation of VLCSFA
destroys the myelin sheath that
insulates the axons of neurons
• demyelination inhibits the
transmission of nerve signals
The Academic Support Center @ Daytona State College (Science 86 Page 10 of 23)
• What are some of the symptoms that Lorenzo
displayed, and how did they progress?
• Why did the symptoms and their progression lead doctors
to believe that Lorenzo had a degenerative disease that
affects the nervous system?
• loss of hearing • loss of sight • loss of balance
• loss of speech • loss of muscle control • inability to swallow
• accumulation of VLCSFA destroys the
myelin sheath that insulates neurons
• demyelination inhibits the
transmission of nerve signals
The Academic Support Center @ Daytona State College (Science 86 Page 11 of 23)
• What treatment did Lorenzo first implement
to attempt to decrease the level of very long
chain saturated fatty acids in his body?
• What effect did this have on
his VLCSFA levels?
Dietary modification
• He decreased his nutritional intake
of saturated fats
The Academic Support Center @ Daytona State College (Science 86 Page 12 of 23)
Augusto uses a diagram of a sink to represent
what is happening in Lorenzo’s body.
• In his diagram, what do the two
taps represent?
• What does the drain represent?
It represents the enzyme that
metabolizes the VLCSFA’s.
• The 1st one represents the long chain
saturated fatty acids that Lorenzo takes
in through his diet.
• The 2nd tap represents the VLCSFA’s
that Lorenzo’s body biosynthesizes.
The Academic Support Center @ Daytona State College (Science 86 Page 13 of 23)
• Why are Lorenzo’s VLCSFA levels increasing, despite the
fact that he has decreased his dietary intake of saturated
fats?
Biosynthesis & Homeostasis
• In addition to the very long chain
saturated fatty acids that are taken
in through diet, the body also
synthesizes its own VLCSFA’s.
• To compensate for the decrease in dietary intake of saturated fatty
acids, the body increases biosynthesis to maintain homeostasis.
The Academic Support Center @ Daytona State College (Science 86 Page 14 of 23)
Michaela Odone discovers research on fatty acid manipulation that
provides a possible solution to Lorenzo’s high level of VLCSFA’s.
• What is the name of the substance that was first used
to manipulate Lorenzo’s fatty acid levels? Where does it
come from?
oleic acid (monounsaturated C18) =
Principle component of olive oil
The Academic Support Center @ Daytona State College (Science 86 Page 15 of 23)
• How does this substance help decrease
Lorenzo’s level of VLCSFA’s?
Increasing the intake of unsaturated fatty acids (oleic acid – C18)
causes the enzyme that synthesizes very long chain saturated fatty
acids to stop making them in excess. (has the opposite effect of
decreasing saturated fat levels)
The Academic Support Center @ Daytona State College (Science 86 Page 16 of 23)
Oleic acid successfully decreases Lorenzo’s
level of VLCSFA’s for a period of time.
• Why did his VLCSFA level plateau after an
initial period of decrease?
Even though extra unsaturated fat is being added
to the diet, which decreases biosynthesis, the
body will still continue to synthesize a certain
amount of very long chain saturated fatty acid.
The Academic Support Center @ Daytona State College (Science 86 Page 17 of 23)
Augusto Odone discovers another substance that
may provide a solution to the plateau that occurs in
Lorenzo’s VLCSFA level.
erucic acid (monounsaturated C22) =
Principle component of rapeseed oil
• What is the name of this substance, and where
does it come from?
The Academic Support Center @ Daytona State College (Science 86 Page 18 of 23)
• What does Lorenzo’s oil consist of?
4 parts oleic acid
+ 1 part erucic acid
= Lorenzo’s Oil
The Academic Support Center @ Daytona State College (Science 86 Page 19 of 23)
• How does Lorenzo’s oil stop the progression of ALD?
Competitive Inhibition • Erucic acid (monounsaturated C22) is long enough to compete with the very long chain
saturated fatty acids (C24 & C26) for the enzyme’s active site.
• This results in the production of more very long chain monounsaturated fatty acids and less of
the harmful saturated type.
The same enzyme metabolizes both monounsaturated &
long-chain fatty acids.
The Academic Support Center @ Daytona State College (Science 86 Page 20 of 23)
• What other treatments for ALD were being
researched when the movie was produced?
Unfortunately, Lorenzo’s oil can only slow down
or stop the progression of Adrenoleukodystrophy
for those who already exhibit symptoms.
• Myelin Regeneration
• Gene Therapy
• Stem Cell Research
• How would a cure for Adrenoleukodystrophy offer
hope to those with other neurological conditions?
The Academic Support Center @ Daytona State College (Science 86 Page 21 of 23)
• Since many males with ALD are now living past the
age of puberty, could this increase the likelihood that
females will contract Adrenoleukodystrophy?
If treatment begins before symptoms develop, Lorenzo’s oil seems to
prevent the disease from occurring in many individuals with ALD.
Defective chromosome
Affected
• If so, how?
The Academic Support Center @ Daytona State College (Science 86 Page 22 of 23)
• Is it ethical for human beings to suffer or sacrifice themselves
for scientific advancement?
• Is there a point where life is no longer worth living?
(What constitutes “life”?)
• Should individuals resort to their own “unscientific” experiments
when proven research is unavailable?
• Is “good science” contrary to compassion?
• Should scientists be more collaborative and less competitive?
The Academic Support Center @ Daytona State College (Science 86 Page 23 of 23)
Compiled by T. Lazauski – Peer Tutor Edited by D. Leonard – Learning Specialist The Academic Support Center @ Daytona State College http://www.daytonastate.edu/asc/ascsciencehandouts.html
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