BioCentury
ARTICLE | Tools & Techniques

Geron's fundamental advance

January 19, 1998 8:00 AM UTC

Geron Corp. last week provided solid functional evidence that telomerase activity affects the replicative capacity of normal cells. The finding relates both to GERN's focus on aging and cell senescence and its programs in cancer.

As with nuclear transfer technology and human cloning, the potential of telomerase will take time to realize, despite reports in the general media that the enzyme can reverse the aging process and telomerase-immortalized cells can provide an immediate source of rare proteins and cures for genetic diseases. The research, while a fundamental scientific discovery, nevertheless is early stage with respect to therapeutic potential...