Tay-Sachs disease is a fatal inherited disorder that results in nerve cell damage in the brain. Individuals with Tay-Sachs disease are born without a chemical (hexosaminidase A) that breaks down a fatty material called ganglioside GM2. If this material is not broken down, it will build up and cause damage to nerve cells. There are two forms of the disease. The common form occurs from birth and the other very rare form occurs between the teens and thirties. Individuals with Tay-Sachs disease may experience paralysis, deafness, blindness and death. The disease is most common among Ashkenazi Jews.