Lorenzo's oil

For the film, see Lorenzo's Oil.
Bottle of Lorenzo's oil
Erucic acid
Erucic acid
Oleic acid
Oleic acid
The two component oils

Lorenzo's oil is a liquid solution made of 4 parts glycerol trioleate and 1 part glycerol trierucate, which are the triacylglycerol forms of oleic acid and erucic acid.[1] It is prepared from olive oil and rapeseed oil.[2] It is used in the investigational treatment of asymptomatic patients with adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD), a nervous system disorder.

The development of the oil was led by Augusto and Michaela Odone after their son Lorenzo was diagnosed with the disease in 1984, at the age of five. Lorenzo was predicted to die within a few years. His parents sought experimental treatment options, and the initial formulation of the oil was developed by retired British scientist Don Suddaby (formerly of Croda International).[3] Suddaby and his colleague, Keith Coupland, received a U.S. patent (since expired) for invention of the oil.[4] The royalties received by Augusto were paid to The Myelin Project which he and Michaela founded to further research treatments for ALD and similar disorders.[citation needed] The Odones and their invention obtained widespread publicity in 1992 because of the film Lorenzo's Oil.

Research on the effectiveness of Lorenzo's oil has seen mixed results, with possible benefit for asymptomatic ALD patients but of unpredictable or no benefit to those with symptoms, suggesting its possible role as a preventative measure in families identified as ALD dominant. Lorenzo Odone died on May 30, 2008, at the age of 30; he was bedridden with paralysis and died from aspiration pneumonia, likely caused by having inhaled food.[5][6]

  1. ^ "Lorenzo's Oil". United Leukodystrophy Foundation. 2024. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
  2. ^ Shankar Vedantam. "A Real-Life Sequel to 'Lorenzo's Oil' – washingtonpost.com". Washington Post 2007-01-28. pp. A01. Retrieved 2007-12-10.
  3. ^ "Lorenzo Odone". The Telegraph. 1 June 2008.
  4. ^ "U.S. Patent 5,331,009: Pharmaceutical compositions for treating adrenoleukodystrophy. Issued July 19, 1994".
  5. ^ "Lorenzo's Oil boy is dead at 30". BBC News. 31 May 2008. Retrieved 2008-06-02.
  6. ^ "Subject of 'Lorenzo's Oil' dies at 30". CNN. Associated Press. 2008-05-30. Archived from the original on July 17, 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-12.