Latest Telomere Stories

Telomerase is an enzyme that maintains the DNA at the ends of our chromosomes, known as telomeres. In the absence of telomerase activity, every time our cells divide, our telomeres get shorter. This is part of the natural aging process, as most cells in the human body do not have much active telomerase. Eventually, these DNA-containing telomeres, which act as protective caps at the ends of chromosomes, become so short that the cells die.But in some cells, such as cancer cells, telomerase,...

Positive psychological changes that occur during meditation training are associated with greater telomerase activity, according to researchers at the University of California, Davis, and the University of California, San Francisco. The study is the first to link positive well-being to higher telomerase, an enzyme important for the long-term health of cells in the body.The effect appears to be attributable to psychological changes that increase a person's ability to cope with stress and...

ROYAL PALM BEACH, Fla., Nov. 4, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Dr. Al Sears, M.D., the first physician in the United States licensed to administer the revolutionary anti-aging therapy TA-65 MD to his patients, has announced he is now offering the breakthrough supplement to the general public through his website (www.alsearsmd.com). Previously you had to go to his practice for extensive testing to receive a bottle. Not long ago, Dr. Sears met a group of specialists who had done some revolutionary work...

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- With 655,000 deaths worldwide per year from colorectal cancer, it is the fourth most common form of cancer in the United States.  Although it generally occurs in patients 60 and up, younger patients have been known to develop the cancer with no family history of it, and until now, researchers have been bemused as to why this occurs.  A recent study has uncovered a link involving telomeres and an increased risk for colorectal cancer in younger age groups that could...

For the first time, researchers have found a link between long telomeres and an increased risk for colorectal cancer, according to research presented at the American Association for Cancer Research special conference on Colorectal Cancer: Biology to Therapy, held here Oct. 27-30, 2010.Telomeres are small strips of DNA that cover the ends of chromosomes "” they are similar to the plastic coverings on shoelace tips. They prevent chromosome tips from fraying during cell division. If the...

Accurate duplication of genetic material and the faithful segregation of chromosomes are critical for cell survival. The initiation of DNA replication is linked both to cell cycle progression and chromatin organization. In plants, animals and other "eukaryotes," the assembly of a multi-protein complex called pre-replicative complex (preRC) is the first step in the initiation of DNA replication. As the name implies, origin recognition complex (ORC) proteins bind to origins of DNA...

Like cats, human cells have a finite number of lives-once they divide a certain number of times (thankfully, more than nine) they change shape, slow their pace, and eventually stop dividing, a phenomenon called "cellular senescence".Biologists know that a cellular clock composed of structures at the chromosome end known as telomeres records how many "lives" a cell has expended. Up to now, investigators have not yet defined how the clock's ticking signals the approach of...

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Among patients receiving immunosuppressive therapy for severe aplastic anemia, a condition in which the bone marrow is unable to produce blood cells, the length of telomeres (chromosome markers of biological aging) was clearly associated with a higher rate of relapse and lower overall survival.Severe aplastic anemia is characterized by life-threateningly low blood cell counts, but the condition can be treated by bone marrow transplant or immunosuppressive drugs. In older...

New paper in Nature by Portuguese researchers provides light on paradox in cell biology worldIn the latest issue of the journal Nature, Miguel Godinho Ferreira, Principal Investigator at the Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência (IGC) in Portugal, lead a team of researchers to shed light on a paradox that has puzzled biologists since the discovery of telomeres, the protective tips of chromosomes: while broken chromosome ends generated by DNA damage (such as radiation or cigarette smoke) are...

RENO, Nev., Sept. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Sierra Sciences, in collaboration with TA Sciences, Geron Corporation, PhysioAge, and the Spanish National Cancer Research Center (CNIO), has announced the first compound ever discovered that activates the enzyme telomerase in the human body - a critical prerequisite for technology that could arrest or reverse the aging process in humans. This compound is a natural product derived nutraceutical known as TA-65. These findings appear as a research article...