Word: geron
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Scientists have tried ever since to reactivate the enzyme that lengthens the tips, known as telomeres. Last January they succeeded: Andrea Bodnar and colleagues from the Geron Corp. in Menlo Park, Calif., activated the enzyme telomerase, extended the telomeres and lengthened the life-span of cells in culture by at least 20 divisions past the Hayflick limit. In November, Geron scored another first by reconstituting the telomeres of embryonic stem cells, which are renowned for their ability to turn into any type of cell, making it theoretically possible to rejuvenate parts of any organ with a simple injection...
...potential controversy, however, is equally tremendous. It is illegal to use federal money for research that involves human embryos--leading both the Johns Hopkins and Wisconsin groups to seek funding from Geron Corp., a biotech firm based in Menlo Park, Calif. But staying within the letter of the law has not saved the scientists from attack. Biotechnology critic Jeremy Rifkin petitioned Congress last week to ban all privately funded research into embryonic stem cells so that there can be a "full investigation of the profound long-term social and ethical implications of the technology." Right-to-life activists chimed...
Answering all these questions and turning the answers into useful therapies is a daunting undertaking that could keep scores of scientists busy for years. Unfortunately, Geron's pockets are not bottomless, and the traditional source of funding is unavailable. In order to inoculate themselves against charges of violating a federal directive, the Johns Hopkins and Wisconsin scientists had to declare that no federal funds were used in their work. The Wisconsin group went so far as to set up a separate lab so federally funded equipment would not be "contaminated...
Fast-forward to last summer, when three different groups of researchers cloned a gene that makes it possible to reactivate telomerase in human-tissue samples. The race was on to see who could make cells live longer than they normally do. Researchers from Geron and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas infected normal cells with a virus that had been genetically engineered to switch telomerase on. In every case the cells' telomeres lengthened instead of shortening, while the cells stayed healthy and continued to divide. "When we submitted the paper, we were at 20 generations past...
Even if the fountain-of-youth business doesn't pan out, however, knowing how to activate telomerase may help Geron discover how to deactivate the compound in cancer cells. That could lead to an effective anticancer drug. It wouldn't be the key to eternal life, but it might be a valuable weapon against one of life's worst scourges...