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Telomerase as a diagnostic and therapeutic target for cancer
L Austin Doyle1, W Edward Highsmith
1Greenebaum Cancer Center, 22 South Greene Street, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA. adoyle@umm.edu
Expert Review of Anticancer Therapy
|July 13, 2002
Abstract:
Telomerase is a ribonucleoprotein enzyme responsible for the elongation of telomeres at the ends of chromosomes. It is widely expressed in most cancers, while absent from most normal somatic cells. Telomerase is partially responsible for the cellular immortalization that allows human cancers to progress indefinitely. Due to its widespread occurrence in cancer and its crucial role in the maintenance of the tumor, telomerase is an attractive target for cancer diagnosis and treatment.