In the news

Sources: Wall Street Journal, Smart Planet

It has been suggested that testing the length of telomeres may provide a useful clinical window on physiological stress and ageing.

Telomeres are segments of DNA on the ends of chromosomes that shorten as cells age, a process that can be accelerated by cellular stress. Now company Telome Health is planning to market telomere tests to help refine estimates of disease risk and longevity. The suggestion is that repeated testing over time could show whether medical or behavioural interventions are slowing telomere shortening, which could be a marker of improved health.  

One of the company’s founders is Elizabeth Blackburn of the University of California San Francisco, co-recipient of the 2009 Nobel Prize Physiology or Medicine for her work on telomeres (see previous news), who said: “The science is there, and the time is right to bring it to the public". This may be true (irrespective of the science), but certainly health services are not likely to be interested in a test that must be repeated over time without both a low price tag and a clear clinical benefit. The quoted price for the test when available is US$200.