This guest blog, from Sharon Lee, Executive Director at CPFF, is to mark Pulmonary Fibrosis Awareness Month this September. Find out what the organization is doing to raise awareness and how you can show your support. Throughout the month of September, the Canadian Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation (CPFF) is sharing the stories of those living with […]
Ahead of Pulmonary Fibrosis Awareness Month, which is marked every September, Laura Devitt, Director, Programs at Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation kindly shared the below information about getting involved. Every September, those who have been impacted by pulmonary fibrosis (PF) unite for Pulmonary Fibrosis Awareness Month (PFAM). Melissa King, a PFF Ambassador from New York, has participated in […]
Telomeres shorten as we age and the risk of cancer increases as we get older; here we explore some ways telomeres affect cancer risk. Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide and with rates of many cancers increasing year on year, it is a priority research area in terms of improving understanding, diagnosis and […]
Telomere length is often considered a biological marker for aging and has been linked to cell lifespan, as well as certain diseases. Here we take a closer look at the relationship between telomeres and aging. What is a telomere? A telomere is a repetitive chain of DNA repeats found on the end of our chromosomes. […]
Telomeres play an important role in protecting our chromosomes, but as we age, they decrease in length. In this blog we explore how and why telomeres shorten. Telomere structure Human telomeres are made up of thousands of repeats of the same DNA sequence (TTAGGG), bound by a special set of proteins called shelterin. They are […]
Since the COVID-19 global pandemic was declared by World Health Organization in March 2020 there has been a large amount of research conducted and published. Here we examine a couple of recent studies that have been conducted into telomeres and COVID-19. Short telomeres and COVID-19 A study conducted in Belgium, published in Aging, set out […]
To help raise awareness of rare disease dyskeratosis congenita, Julian’s mom Mayra has kindly shared his journey through 4 stem cell transplants this Rare Disease Day. At the age of 3, our son was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder called, dyskeratosis congenita. We were really fortunate our search led us to the Jimmy Fund […]
In this blog we examine what short telomeres are and what short telomere syndromes can mean for certain individuals. What are telomeres for? Our chromosomes need to be protected to prevent damage, or them fusing with other chromosomes. Telomeres are the protective structures found on the end of chromosomes. They are made up of thousands […]
Please be aware of the RepeatDx holiday closure dates when shipping samples for telomere length testing. If you have any questions please contact us to discuss options. Holiday closure dates Wednesday 23 December Open Thursday 24 December Open Friday 25 December Closed Monday 28 December Closed Tuesday 29 December Open Wednesday 30 December Open Thursday […]
To mark Telomere Biology Disorder Month (TBD Month) this November, Mark is kindly sharing his journey of being diagnosed with dyskeratosis congenita, liver failure and undergoing a liver transplant. My journey with dyskeratosis congenita (DC) started in September 2016 when I was first diagnosed. I had become pretty sick in a short period of time, […]