Could preventive medicine be as simple as a blood test? Some diseases can be overlooked when it comes to preventive medicine. Even though many of them can be managed with early diagnosis and treatment, they often go undiagnosed until it is late in their progression. This can be a long journey for both patients and […]
Tag: telomere length
Telomere testing 101: what is behind this door?
Telomeres?? Telomere length?? What in the world! These are the typical reactions among the ones that come across the word “Telomere” for the first time. You may be looking into this blog with a specific purpose, for instance, you or a family member may have been diagnosed with a Telomere Disease, or you just popped in […]
Telomere testing sample preparation
Preparing samples for shipment to RepeatDx for Flow FISH telomere length testing is a simple process, here we run through the equipment needed and the main steps from preparation to shipment. What is needed for collecting a sample for telomere testing? There are no specific sample collection / shipping kits required for telomere testing at […]
Happy Holidays: RepeatDx closure dates
Please be aware of the RepeatDx (North America) holiday closure dates when shipping samples for telomere length testing. If you have any questions please contact us to discuss options. Holiday closure dates Friday 24 December Open Monday 27 December Closed Tuesday 28 December Closed Wednesday 29 December Open Thursday 30 December Open Friday 31 December […]
Video: Techniques to measure telomere length
Accurately measuring telomere length is important for the diagnosis of telomere biology disorders, for research into how telomeres affect health span and aging, and their links to cancer. In this video we discuss a number of techniques to measure telomere length. Telomeres — the protective caps on the ends of our chromosomes — hold important […]
Video: How telomere length impacts cancer risk
People with either very short or very long telomeres are at increased risk of developing cancer – this is called the Telomere Length Paradox. In this video we discuss how telomere length can impact cancer risk. Telomeres, the protective caps on the ends of our chromosomes, can act as a defense mechanism to prevent tumor […]
Video: Telomere Biology Disorders explained
Telomere Biology Disorders (TBDs) are also known as Short Telomere Syndromes or telomeropathies. This video explores what causes TBDs and how they can impact people’s health. Telomere Biology Disorders (TBDs) are characterized by genetic deficits affecting telomere maintenance and by the presence of very short telomeres. Symptoms of TBDs can range significantly from person-to-person. In […]
Video: The links between telomerase and aging
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 […]
Video: How telomere shortening affects aging
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 […]
Video: What are telomeres and how do they protect our cells?
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 […]