Telomerase News and Research

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Interim data from Geron's ongoing imetelstat trial presented at the AACR-NCI-EORTC conference

Geron Corporation today announced the presentation of interim data from its ongoing trial of imetelstat (GRN163L), a telomerase inhibitor drug, in patients with refractory, advanced solid cancers at the 2009 AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics in Boston.

19 Nov 2009

Researchers find link between telomeres and longevity

A team led by researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University has found a clear link between living to 100 and inheriting a hyperactive version of an enzyme that rebuilds telomeres - the tip ends of chromosomes. The findings appear in the latest issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

12 Nov 2009

Cellular mechanisms that may impact immune functions in the elderly discovered

Investigators discover cellular mechanisms that may impact the decline of both innate and adaptive immune functions that increase the susceptibility to various infectious agents, cancer and diseases in the elderly say experts at the annual meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) in Miami Beach, Fla.

9 Nov 2009

Professor Suzanne Cory receives award for her work in cancer and immunogenetics

Professor Suzanne Cory, the former director of the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research in Melbourne, Australia, has been named the recipient of the 2009 Pearl Meister Greengard Prize.

24 Oct 2009

DKC establishes link between genetic mutation affecting telomerase function and human disease

The human genetic disease dyskeratosis congenita (DKC) is an autosomal dominant disease that leads to abnormalities in tissues with a rapid cell turnover - the skin, nails, bone marrow, lungs and gut. Patients with DKC experience life-threatening symptoms. Bone marrow failure increases their risk of fatal infections and cancer. Many die before the age of 30 and management of the disease is limited to trying to treat its symptoms.

19 Oct 2009

Molecular biologist receives 2009 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

Molecular biologist Elizabeth H. Blackburn, PhD, 60, of the University of California, San Francisco, today was named to receive the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

6 Oct 2009

Elizabeth Blackburn, Carol Greider and Jack Szostak receive 2009 Nobel Prize in medicine

The 2009 Nobel Prize in medicine has been awarded to Elizabeth Blackburn, Carol Greider and Jack Szostak for the discovery of how chromosomes are protected by telomeres and the enzyme telomerase.

5 Oct 2009

New study on behaviour of telomeres during cell division in cancerous human cells

A process that limits the number of times a cell divides works much differently than had been thought, opening the door to potential new anticancer therapies, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center report in the Aug. 7 issue of the journal Cell.

2 Sep 2009

Geron to present updates on product development programs at four investor conferences in September

Geron Corporation today announced that the company will present updates of its product development programs at four investor conferences in the month of September.

31 Aug 2009

Handle with care: Telomeres resemble DNA fragile sites

Telomeres, the repetitive sequences of DNA at the ends of linear chromosomes, have an important function: They protect vulnerable chromosome ends from molecular attack.

9 Jul 2009

Researchers target telomeres to attack tumors

Hoping to develop more effective long-term attacks on cancer, researchers at the Indiana University School of Medicine are conducting the first human tests of a breast cancer drug regimen that includes a compound meant to force cancer cells to grow old and die.

5 May 2009

Stem cells from human testes can change into other body tissues

Scientists at the Stanford University School of Medicine and at UC-San Francisco have succeeded in isolating stem cells from human testes.

5 Jan 2009

Researchers identify gene linked to inherited form of fatal lung disease

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have determined that a mutation in a gene known for its role in defending the lungs against invading pathogens is responsible for some inherited cases of a lethal lung disease affecting older adults. The same mutation may also be associated with lung cancer, the researchers said.

21 Dec 2008

Researchers identify key step in maturation pathway of telomerase

The Stowers Institute's Baumann Lab has discovered an important step in the maturation pathway of telomerase, the enzyme that replenishes the sequences that are lost at chromosome ends with every cell division.

8 Dec 2008

Astragalus root plant chemical used to fight HIV

Like other kinds of cells, immune cells lose the ability to divide as they age because a part of their chromosomes known as a telomere becomes progressively shorter with cell division.

11 Nov 2008

Sea birds' DNA may hold keys to aging and cancer, Bucknell researcher says

Chances are, a mouse in the wild will live less than a year before stumbling upon a hungry falcon or feline.

5 Oct 2008

Squirrels may know a cure for cancer!

Scientists in the United States believe they have discovered a previously unknown anti-cancer mechanism in some rodents.

18 Sep 2008

Discovery of tumour growth enzyme could lead to new cancer drugs

Scientists say a landmark study has revealed an enzyme which is vital to the growth of many cancers.

1 Sep 2008

Scientists identify possible cause of endometriosis

Scientists at the University of Liverpool have identified an enzyme that could be responsible for a condition called endometriosis - the most common cause of pelvic pain in women.

5 Aug 2008

Eroded telomeres are behind dyskeratosis congentia aging syndrome

Each time a cell divides, the protective caps at the ends of chromosomes shorten - and when these caps are gone, so are we. Now, by using an unconventional strategy to shorten telomeres in mice, researchers at Rockefeller University have not only created the first faithful mouse model for studying a rare yet fatal premature aging syndrome, but they have revealed the molecular defect behind the disease.

30 Jul 2008