In a basic biology class, students learn that lysosomes are responsible for breaking down substances. I usually refer to these substances as waste products. I might even go into how macrophages absorb and digest bacteria as part of an immune response.

With the AP Biology students, who have already learned cell basics, I like to go into more nuanced details about how important lysosomes are with regard to waste disposal. There are several diseases associated with malfunctioning lysosomes. Tay-Sachs is probably the one most people have heard about, but there is also Gaucher and Batten disease.

I created this mini-case study about Gaucher disease as a way for students to make connections between cell organelles and human physiology. It starts with a story (and link) about a mother dealing with the decline of her newborn. Though I hate to just give students sad stories as cases, very few lysosomal storage disorders (LSD’s) have happy endings. In most cases, the disorder is fatal.

One notable exception, phenylketonuria (PKU), can be a managed disease as long as the diagnosis is made early. Newborns in many countries are automatically screened for PKU. These children can live a healthy life if they adhere to dietary restrictions. But, that is ONLY if they are diagnosed at birth. Otherwise, the cell’s inability to break down phenylalanine will lead to the same fatal consequences as seen in other LSDs.

In other words, LSD’s are generally a class of disorders that are just not compatible with life. Lysosomes aren’t flashy or meme-worthy, like the mitochondria, but they are just as important!