Targeting telomerase

Telomerase is an enzyme that cells use to divide. Most normal adult human cells have near to zero telomerase activity. However, cancer cells retain that ability and use it to multiply infinitely. Over 90% of cancers have inappropriate activity levels of telomerase. Telomerase therefore is a primary target for anti-cancer drugs. Now, scientists have made progress in understanding the active region of telomerase. "The study elucidates the active region of telomerase and provides the first full-length view of the telomerase molecule's critical protein component. It reveals surprising details, at the atomic level, of the enzyme's configuration and how it works to replicate the ends of chromosomes—a process critical to both tumor development and the aging process".

To note is that there is a commercial company in Menlo Park, CA - Geron Corporation. They have been working on telomerase cancer drugs for a while now.

More here:

• http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080831151339.htm
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geron_Corporation
• Safety and Dose Study of GRN163L Administered to Patients With Solid Tumor Malignancies