Research

Discovering Telomerase

Carol Greider was a 25-year-old graduate student studying fragments of a single-celled, pond-dwelling organism when she established herself as one of the world’s pioneering researchers.

Her interest was basic: How do chromosomes — the strands of DNA that contain genes — maintain themselves? Her focus was keen: She concentrated on the tiny caps on chromosome ends — important tip-structures known as telomeres.

Taking the lead of mentors who said that some sort of unknown enzyme perhaps played a role in telomere maintenance, Greider set out into uncharted territory and uncovered a mechanism that’s fundamental to the one-celled pond dwellers — indeed, to all living organisms, including humans.

Greider discovered that when telomeres become too short, people get age-related degenerative diseases. However, if telomeres are too long, there is the risk of cancer. Her research now focuses on discovering just how the cell keeps the right length to maintain chromosomes and mitigate disease.

How the Discovery Helps People

Greider’s improbable discovery of telomerase — a remarkable enzyme that restores telomeres and protects them from damage — catalyzed an explosion of scientific studies that, to this day, probe connections from telomerase and telomeres to cancer, lung and bone marrow conditions and other diseases of aging.

Scientists are learning more about the balance of telomeres in humans and how abnormal lengths contribute to disease.

As Greider continues to collaborate on bold and visionary work, time will tell which connections between telomerase and health prove to be real and which unforeseen connections will emerge.