The key to keeping our cells healthy may be down to the enzyme telomerase. In this video we cover how telomerase helps maintain telomere length in our cells, and how this influences how our bodies age, and why we develop diseases like cancer. Over time, with each cell division, telomeres shorten. When telomeres are too […]
Telomeres, in particular telomere length, have been shown to play a role in aging. In this video we explore how and why telomere shortening affects the aging process. Telomeres are unique structures of proteins and DNA, found on the ends of our chromosomes. Each time cells replicate, the number of DNA repeats making up our […]
What are telomeres? Telomeres are protective caps, found at the ends of our chromosomes. This is the first in a short series of videos where we explore telomeres, telomere length and telomerase, as well as the impact they have on our health and aging. Telomeres are thought to play a major role in aging by […]
We are pleased to announce that RepeatDx will be exhibiting at the PFF Summit 2021. After a very positive experience at the last PFF Summit in 2019, we are looking forward to joining the PFF Summit 2021, November 8-13, participating in the virtual exhibit hall. The Summit is the PFF’s sixth biennial health care conference […]
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 […]