History of the LSD Class^[1]

Symptoms of some lysosomal storage disorders were first identified as early as the 1880s, and by the early 1900s many LSDs had been described and classified--although the lysosome itself was not discovered until 1955 by the Belgian biochemist Christian de Duve, who won the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1974.

Many LSDs were identified before their biochemical and genetic basis was fully understood, so they received common names (for example, after the discovering physician). Later, an additional, more clinically descriptive name often came into use.

By the 1960s the role of lysosomes in cellular digestion and substrate management was well understood, and Pompe became the first disease formally recognized as a lysosomal storage disorder. By the 1970s the scientific community had recognized many more LSDs as such and had begun identifying and classifying the specific enzymatic problems.

References

1. Wilcox, WR. Lysosomal Storage Disorders: The Need for Better Pediatric Recognition and Comprehensive Care. Journal of Pediatrics; May 2004: S3-S14.