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Updated: Jun 22, 2026

Droplet Digital TRAP (ddTRAP): Adaptation of the Telomere Repeat Amplification Protocol to Droplet Digital Polymerase Chain Reaction
Published on: May 3, 2019
Quantitative telomerase activity in circulating human leukocytes: utility of real-time telomeric repeats
Vasco Lança1, Robert Y L Zee, Alicia Rivera
1Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Hypertension, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Background:
There is accumulating evidence from the epidemiological field of telomere biology that telomere length plays an important role in the pathophysiology of cardiovascular disease. The RNA-dependent DNA polymerase, telomerase, is essential in regulating telomere length by acting as a reverse transcriptase. However, the relationship between telomerase activity and telomere length in cardiovascular disease is unclear. This is due, in part, to the paucity of information on the utility of a quantitative and routine assay for the determination of telomerase activity in circulating blood leukocytes.
Methods:
We used a validated, high-sensitive real-time quantitative telomeric repeat amplification protocol (RQ-TRAP) to determine telomerase activity in circulating blood leukocytes.
Results:
The present investigation demonstrated direct and reliable detection of telomerase activity of circulating blood leukocytes.
Conclusion:
The present investigation suggests the feasibility of using RQ-TRAP assay in routine screening of telomerase activity in blood specimens typically collected in a clinical/epidemiological setting.
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