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Telomere Gene Therapy: Polarizing Therapeutic Goals for Treatment of Various Diseases

JinWoo Hong1, Chae-Ok Yun2,3

  • 1Department of Bioengineering, College of Engineering, Hanyang University, 222 Wangsimni-ro, Seongdong-gu, Seoul 04763, Korea. jhong803@hanyang.ac.kr.

Cells
|May 1, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Gene therapy targeting telomere maintenance offers dual applications: upregulation for anti-aging and suppression for cancer treatment. Careful evaluation of oncogenesis risk is crucial for vector-mediated gene therapy.

Area of Science:

  • Biotechnology
  • Genetics
  • Oncology

Background:

  • Telomere attrition is linked to aging-associated diseases and cellular senescence.
  • Telomere maintenance genes are critical for both cellular health and cancer progression.
  • Gene therapy offers potential for modulating telomere maintenance.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the dual role of telomere maintenance genes in gene therapy.
  • To discuss gene therapy strategies for anti-aging and anticancer applications.
  • To highlight safety assessments for vector-mediated telomere gene therapy.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of gene therapy applications targeting telomere maintenance.
  • Analysis of gene therapy requirements for regenerative versus anticancer outcomes.
  • Examination of safety hazard assessments for oncogenesis.

Main Results:

  • Upregulation of telomere maintenance genes is beneficial for anti-aging/regenerative therapy.
  • Suppression of telomere maintenance genes (e.g., telomerase) is necessary for cancer therapy.
  • Overexpression of telomerase is a hallmark of many cancers, contributing to immortality.

Conclusions:

  • Gene therapy targeting telomere maintenance presents contradictory requirements for different applications.
  • Vector-mediated gene transfer necessitates rigorous safety evaluations to mitigate oncogenesis risks.
  • Understanding telomere biology is key to advancing gene therapy for aging and cancer.
Keywords:
anti-agingcancer therapygene therapyregenerative medicinetelomerasetelomeretelomere dysfunction

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