Find out more about Dyskeratosis Congenita and Telomere Biology Disorders; what causes them, why the symptoms can vary and the importance of an accurate diagnosis. What is Dyskeratosis Congenita? Dyskeratosis Congenita (DC) is an inherited bone marrow failure syndrome that develops as a result of defective telomere maintenance. DC is therefore classed as a telomere […]
Dyskeratosis Congenita, Telomere Biology Disorders and the role of telomere length testing
Telomere Length Is Correlated With Quality Of Life In COPD
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is an age-related disease, with data supporting the notion that COPD is a systemic disease of accelerated aging. COPD is associated with oxidative stress, which becomes amplified during exacerbations and enhances telomere shortening. A recent 2018 study shows that participants with moderate-to-severe COPD who had shorter leukocyte telomere lengths were […]
How Telomere Testing Is Being Used In Hospital Settings
Telomere testing is used as a diagnostic tool by medical professionals. When looking to find out about a patient’s health, this kind of test can reveal important information. While this type of testing is not yet widespread throughout the medical community, recent research published in PNAS has shown the rise and success of its use […]
Modified Instruments For Telomere Length Measurement
RepeatDx has received its second three-laser flow cytometer. Both instruments have been modified to achieve optimal telomere length measurements using our flow-FISH procedure. Our technologies available at RepeatDx are built to meet the increasing demand for telomere length measurement for clinical and other research studies. Recent publications have highlighted the role of telomere length measurement […]
Lymphocyte Homeostasis in Acquired Aplastic Anemia is Associated With Short Telomeres
Hepatitis‐associated aplastic anemia (HAA) is a variant of acquired aplastic anemia (AA) in which immune‐mediated bone marrow failure (BMF) develops following an acute episode of seronegative hepatitis. Dyskeratosis congenita (DC) is an inherited BMF syndrome characterized by the presence of short telomeres, mucocutaneous abnormalities, and cancer predisposition. While both conditions may cause BMF and hepatic […]
Shall we call them “telomere-mediated”? Renaming the idiopathic after the cause is found
Editorial Interstitial Lung Disease by Samantha J. Merck and Mary Armanios October 28, 2016. Over the past decade, it has become evident that abnormally short telomeres are a causal risk factor for pulmonary fibrosis in a large subset of patients. Mutations in the genes that code for the telomerase enzyme essential components are the most […]
Telomeres on Steroids – Turning Back the Mitotic Clock
Editorial in NEJM by Peter Lansdorp, M.D., Ph.D. May 19, 2016 In a study reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, Townsley et al. found that patients with diseases that are thought to result from defective telomere maintenance benefit from treatment with androgenic anabolic steroids.1 All 12 of the patients they examined had normalization […]
American Society of Hematology, 57th Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL December 5-8, 2015
Visit the Dyskeratosis Congenita Outreach at booth 2012 to learn more about Telomere Biology Disorders.
Long Telomere Length Associated with Increased Lung Cancer Risk
“The large-scale genetic study, conducted at the University of Chicago Medical Center, looked at the link between telomere length and risk for five common cancers. No significant associations between telomere length and other cancer types or subtypes were observed.” The findings were published in Human Molecular Genetics in July, 2015. Read more