Telomerase, Cancer, and Aging

by Seung-eun Jang

Submitted : Spring 2012

Telomerase is a ribonucleoprotein that works to protect the ends of the chromosome from fraying after rounds of replication by maintaining the telomere length. Its relationship with cancer and aging has been cited by many research studies in the past because it may be the causal agent of death, but it may also hold the key to immortality. In the absence of telomerase, a cell can divide a certain number of times until telomeres at the ends of the DNA are degraded from many cycles of replication. The purpose of this project is to determine the correlation between the Hayflick limit and telomerase activity by using exponential regression model. Suggestions are made on how to influence telomerase to increase longevity and decrease cancer.

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