Highlighting the Importance of Telomere Biology Disorder Month November marks Telomere Biology Disorder (TBD) Awareness Month—a time dedicated to illuminating a complex yet critical area of health that impacts many lives. This initiative is not only about spreading awareness but also fostering an understanding of the genetic underpinnings that influence our health. Telomeres, often described […]
Tag: telomeres
Guest blog: Team Telomere launches new TBD Diagnosis and Management Guidelines
The second edition Telomere Biology Disorders: Diagnosis and Management Guidelines have been officially published. This is a comprehensive reference manual for patients, physicians, and researchers. These updated guidelines are the result of a multi-disciplinary international collaboration between clinicians and scientists united by the goal of improving the lives of people with Telomere Biology Disorders and […]
Guest blog: Jeni shares her experience with short telomeres for Rare Disease Day
To help raise awareness of rare disease dyskeratosis congenita, and other telomere biology disorders caused by short telomeres, Jeni has shared her experience this Rare Disease Day. My name is Jeni Colter. At fifty years old, I have many things; A wonderful husband, two great kids, a house, two dogs and very short telomeres. Very, […]
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 […]
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: 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 […]
How do telomeres affect cancer?
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 […]