Telomeres
Lots of interest currently into relationship of telomere length on aging - or vice versa.
Telomeres are a region of repetitive nucleotide sequences at the end of chromosone which reduce in length over time - therefore hinting they may be involved in the aging prcess, i.e. length reduces to zero and cell blows up (I'm simplifying slightly!)
Resources
Telomere length testing kit - Titanovo
Measured in relative T/S and in absolute length in kbp (kilobasepairs)
TeloYears - finger prick blood DNA test provides your Average Telomere Length (ATL)
Recent News
2018 Telomere Length Update by Liz Parrish
Bioviva Science - 24-Sep-2018In September 2015 Liz Parrish received two gene therapies. Telomeres increased from 6.71kb in 2015 to 8.12kb in 2018 - equivalent 3 decades of rejuvenation. There have so far been no negative effects of therapy. Telomeres have continued to get longer without any additional treatment. SpectraCell measured white blood cells - don’t yet know if same in all cells inside her body. Likewise, muscle mass still increasing 3 years after myostatin inhibitor therapy.
Telomerase Gene Therapy Does Not Increase Cancer Risk
Life Extension Advocacy Foundation (LEAF) - 27-Aug-2018Gene therapy study reactivated telomerase gene in cells. Used an adeno-associated virus (AAV) to deliver the payload. Study used mouse model that is at high risk of lung cancer. Did not increase the risk of developing cancer. Does not integrate into the genomes of the target cells. Telomerase activation only lasts for a few cell cycles. Effective against cardiac infarct, aplastic anemia, & pulmonary fibrosis.
Telomere loop structure more important than length
Medical Xpress - 20-Jul-2018People born with abnormally short telomeres suffer a variety of conditions. New research identifies why telomeres change from healthy to unhealthy with age. Telomeres normally form a loop structure, where the chromosome end is hidden. When loop unfolds, the chromosome end is exposed and perceived as broken DNA. It is not telomere length that matters, but telomere structure. New super-resolution microscopy allows loops to be seen.
