Telomere News and Research

Latest Telomere News and Research

Findings may contribute to better understanding of aging and cancer development

A team of researchers led by Dr. Dennis Kappei, a Special Fellow from the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore at the National University of Singapore, has discovered the role of the protein ZBTB48 in regulating both telomeres and mitochondria, which are key players involved in cellular aging.

14 Jun 2017

Study identifies new susceptibility loci for lung cancer

Using the OncoArray genotyping platform developed by multiple cancer consortia, a recent large aggregated genomewide association study identifies new susceptibility loci for lung cancer, the leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide.

14 Jun 2017

Study finds link between traffic-related air pollution and telomere shortening in children

Children and teens exposed to high levels of traffic-related air pollution have evidence of a specific type of DNA damage called telomere shortening, reports a study in the May Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

19 May 2017

New technology could hold key to predicting outcome of blood cancer patients

Technology that can detect the length of small DNA structures in cancer cells could hold the key to predicting the outcome of patients with two different types of blood cancer.

11 May 2017

High levels of physical activity may slow aging at cellular level

Despite their best efforts, no scientist has ever come close to stopping humans from aging. Even anti-aging creams can't stop Old Father Time.

10 May 2017

Maternal stress during pregnancy could lead to premature biological ageing in offspring

The stress that some mothers experience during their pregnancies could influence the genetic makeup their babies are born with and, eventually, lead to premature biological ageing and associated age-related diseases.

11 Apr 2017

Salk Institute receives additional $3 million Glenn Foundation gift to continue aging research

The Salk Institute has received a $3 million gift from the Glenn Foundation for Medical Research for the second time in 4 years, enabling the Institute to continue investigating the biology of normal human aging and age-related diseases.

10 Apr 2017

Study explains how genetic mutations linked to telomere capping complex contribute to cancers

Scientists at The Wistar Institute have unveiled part of the protein complex that protects telomeres - the ends of our chromosomes. The study, published online in Nature Communications, explains how a group of genetic mutations associated with this protein complex contributes to various cancers.

10 Apr 2017

Researchers identify molecular switch that converts skin cells into blood vessel cells

Researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago have identified a molecular switch that converts skin cells into cells that make up blood vessels, which could ultimately be used to repair damaged vessels in patients with heart disease or to engineer new vasculature in the lab.

7 Apr 2017

Extreme short and long telomeres linked to increased cancer risk

The length of the telomere "caps" of DNA that protect the tips of chromosomes may predict cancer risk and be a potential target for future therapeutics, University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute scientists will report today at the AACR Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.

3 Apr 2017

Study shows decreasing telomere length may contribute to onset of age-related diseases

Mouse models of human disease have made it possible to gain important insights into many conditions. However, many diseases remain for which no mouse model exists, and large proportion of human diseases without mouse models are associated with aging.

28 Mar 2017

JAX researchers unravel mechanism that enables cancer cells to survive and divide

Some cancer cells have a trick up their sleeve to avoid cell death: boosting maintenance of telomeres, the protective "end caps" on chromosomes, and a research team led by Jackson Laboratory Professor Roel Verhaak reports in Nature Genetics on a newly discovered telomere maintenance mechanism.

31 Jan 2017

Shorter chromosome 'caps' linked to higher burden of disease later in life

New research indicates that people who had more infections as babies harbor a key marker of cellular aging as young adults: the protective stretches of DNA which "cap" the ends of their chromosomes are shorter than in adults who were healthier as infants.

25 Jan 2017

Sedentary lifestyle may hasten biological aging

Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine report that elderly women who sit for more than 10 hours a day with low physical activity have cells that are biologically older by eight years compared to women who are less sedentary.

18 Jan 2017

Higher maternal age of successful child bearing may be marker of healthy aging

Death and taxes have long been said to be the only two things guaranteed in life. Exactly when someone will die, in most instances, remains a mystery.

7 Dec 2016

Starvation may shorten lifespans of children and male descendants, study suggests

New Tel Aviv University research suggests that periods of fasting or starvation may significantly shorten the lifespans of both children and their male descendants.

5 Dec 2016

Genetic differences between brain cancer cells and normal tissues could offer clues to tumor behavior

Two recently discovered genetic differences between brain cancer cells and normal tissue cells -- an altered gene and a snippet of noncoding genetic material -- could offer clues to tumor behavior and potential new targets for therapy, Johns Hopkins scientists report.

2 Dec 2016

Length of telomeres may reveal if vitamin D and omega-3 supplements improve heart health, longevity

The length of your telomeres appears to be a window into your heart health and longevity, and scientists are measuring them to see if vitamin D and omega-3 supplements really improve both.

14 Nov 2016

UPCI scientists reveal how cancer cells hijack DNA repair pathways to stay alive

Research by scientists at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute has revealed how cancer cells hijack DNA repair pathways to prevent telomeres, the endcaps of chromosomes, from shortening, thus allowing the tumor to spread. The findings are published today in the journal Cell Reports.

8 Nov 2016

Study suggests targeting UNG enzyme may help treat non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

Researchers have discovered that an enzyme called uracil-DNA glycosylase (UNG) protects the ends of B cell chromosomes to facilitate the proliferation of these antibody-producing cells in response to infection.

3 Oct 2016