Telomerase Gene Therapy treatment of age-related diseases and telomere syndromes does not favor canc
Telomeres are protective structures at the ends of chromosomes. They consist of tandem repeats of a DNA sequence, which in all vertebrates is TTAGGG, bound by a six-protein complex known as shelterin that exerts the protective function. Telomeres shorten every time a cell divides, and when they become critically short, this induces a persistent DNA damage response (DDR) at chromosome ends which can jeopardize cell viability. In the context of the organism, telomeres shorten as our cells divide to regenerate tissues until critical telomere shortening impairs tissue regeneration and contributes to aging-associated pathologies. Mutations in genes involved in telomere maintenance are associated
