Telomerase Trio Holds Key to Cancer, Aging Therapies

A team of Australian scientists has pinpointed a group of proteins that could revolutionize treatments for both cancer and age-related diseases, offering hope for therapies targeting the core mechanisms of these conditions.

Discovery Details

Researchers at Sydney’s Children’s Medical Research Institute (CMRI) have found that these proteins are critical in controlling telomerase, an enzyme protecting DNA during cell division. The CMRI statement highlighted this discovery clarifies how telomerase supports healthy aging, and also fuels cancer’s growth.

Telomerase is crucial for maintaining telomeres, the ends of chromosomes vital for genetic stability. Though essential for stem cells and some immune cells, cancer cells often misuse this enzyme for uncontrolled growth, according to findings published in Nature Communications.

Molecular Traffic Controllers

The team discovered that three proteins—NONO, SFPQ, and PSPC1—guide telomerase to the ends of chromosomes. Interrupting these proteins in cancer cells prevents telomere maintenance, potentially halting cancer cell growth.

According to the National Cancer Institute, about 24,660 new cases of cancer are expected to be diagnosed in Australia in 2024 alone, highlighting the importance of the research. Cancer Australia 2024

Expert Insights

“Our findings show that these proteins act like molecular traffic controllers, making sure telomerase reaches the right destination inside the cell,” said Alexander Sobinoff, the study’s lead author.

Hilda Pickett, head of CMRI’s Telomere Length Regulation Unit and the study’s senior author, said understanding telomerase control “opens new possibilities for developing treatments targeting cancer, aging, and genetic disorders linked to telomere dysfunction.”