What is enzyme replacement therapy?

Enzyme replacement therapy is a method to treat many kinds of diseases The enzyme is introduced into the body to make up for the deficiency Enzyme replacement therapy is commonly used to treat Gaucher's disease, Fabry's disease, type 2 glycogen excess and cystic fibrosis Usually, fresh enzymes need to be injected on time to be effective Enzymes are proteins that the body uses to catalyze or produce specific chemical reactions Enzymes have one or more binding sites that specifically accept specific molecules and perform certain operations For example, many enzymes in saliva are specially used to decompose food If some of the body's enzymes are inadequate, the enzyme responsible reaction cannot be properly completed The most common cause of enzyme deficiency is gene mutation, which changes the protein structure used to express genes When this happens, the body also produces enzymes, but not the necessary reactions This is where enzyme replacement therapy works Enzyme replacement therapy is usually the introduction of enzymes from the outside that are very similar to the lack of human body For example, Gaucher's disease is caused by a lack of glucocerebrosidase, an enzyme that plays an important role in human metabolism The disease can be treated by injection of imiglucerase The second enzyme replacement therapy introduces enzymes that are deficient for other reasons Cystic fibrosis is caused by the body's difficulty in producing specific proteins, which are important for cell membrane function The disease can't be treated simply by injecting protein into the body because it doesn't function properly However, enzyme replacement therapy can correct cystic fibrosis The disease causes problems in the pancreatic duct, which prevents enzymes from entering the gastrointestinal tract to digest food, while enzyme replacement therapy can introduce different digestive enzymes to help correct this secondary problem Enzyme replacement therapy is relatively new With more understanding of genome and protein cell function, there are many new enzyme replacement therapies However, this treatment is expensive because it requires protein synthesis in vitro and sustained use In the natural process of human body, protein decomposes and is copied This normal breakdown helps the organism regulate itself, but enzyme replacement therapy requires weekly injections of fresh enzymes.