Latest Telomerase Stories

Scientists at Johns Hopkins have provided more clues to one of the least understood phenomena in some cancers: why the "ends caps" of cellular DNA, called telomeres, lengthen instead of shorten.In a study published online June 30 in Science Express, the Johns Hopkins researchers say they have identified two genes that, when defective, may cause these telomere elongations.Telomeres contain repeated sequences of DNA that, in normal cells, shorten each time a cell divides. Without...

Two Baylor College of Medicine doctors have received support for their research from Alex's Lemonade Stand, a nonprofit group dedicated to fighting pediatric cancer.Dr. Jason Shohet, assistant professor of pediatrics "“ hematology/oncology and co-chair of Texas Children's Cancer Center's Neuroblastoma Program, received a two-year, $200,000 Innovation Award from the organization for his research on reprogramming neuroblastoma cancer stem cells. Innovation Awards are given by Alex's Lemonade...

BLUE BELL, Pa., June 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NYSE Amex: INO) announced today that its subsidiary VGX Animal Health, Inc., a developer of DNA-based vaccines and therapies for companion and food animals, has achieved strong T cell responses from VAH-5000D, its DNA vaccine encoding telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) for the treatment of dogs with cancer. This preclinical data was presented by Dr. Douglas Kern, DVM, VGX Animal Health's Vice President of...

(Ivanhoe Newswire) "“ Researchers have found new clues about aging, by identifying a new pathway that sets the clock for programmed aging in normal cells. The study focused on a toxic protein called progerin and its interaction with telomeres, which cap the ends of chromosomes. Telomeres wear away during cell division. When they degrade sufficiently, the cell stops dividing and dies.The researchers found that dysfunctional and short telomeres activate production of progerin, which is...

Genetic splicing mechanism triggers both premature aging syndrome and normal cellular agingNational Institutes of Health researchers have identified a new pathway that sets the clock for programmed aging in normal cells. The study provides insights about the interaction between a toxic protein called progerin and telomeres, which cap the ends of chromosomes like aglets, the plastic tips that bind the ends of shoelaces.The study by researchers from the National Human Genome Research Institute...

NEW YORK, June 8, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- When expressed (turned on), the gene (hTERT) located on Chromosome number 5p15.33 activates the enzyme telomerase. Human cells can keep living and dividing indefinitely when telomerase is continually present; i.e. the cells become immortal. Telomerase Activation Sciences, Inc. (T.A. Sciences®) announces TA-65® can extend human cell life indefinitely. TA-65® is a single molecule telomerase activator that turns on the Immortality Gene under...

A rare genetic disease called dyskeratosis congenita, caused by the rapid shortening of telomeres (protective caps on the ends of chromosomes), can be mimicked through the study of undifferentiated induced pluripotent stem cells, according to new findings from the Stanford University School of Medicine. Although dyskeratosis affects only about one in a million people, the scientists' findings could greatly facilitate research into this and other diseases caused by stem cell malfunctions,...

Cancer researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center are helping unlock the cellular-level function of the telomerase enzyme, which is linked to the disease's growth.Their latest findings, published today in Molecular Cell, demonstrate that telomerase repairs chromosomes in one of two ways "“ depending on whether a cell is dividing normally or if the cell is under stress from enzyme inhibition "“ and could lead to new or improved cancer-fighting therapies that promote inhibition of this...

Adults with post-traumatic stress disorder and a history of childhood trauma had significantly shorter telomere length than those with PTSD but without childhood trauma, in a study by researchers at the San Francisco VA Medical Center and the University of California, San Francisco.Telomeres are DNA-protein complexes that cap the ends of chromosomes and protect them from damage and mutations. Short telomere length is associated with an increased risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and...

In stark contrast to normal cells, which only divide a finite number of times before they enter into a permanent state of growth arrest or simply die, cancer cells never cease to proliferate. Now, scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have uncovered an important clue to one of the mechanisms underlying cancer cell immortality.Their findings, published in the April 22, 2011 issue of Molecular Cell, reveal an unanticipated structure at chromosome ends, which could be a key...