Telomerase is a ribonucleoprotein enzyme that uses its internal RNA component as a template for the synthesis of DNA on the ends of chromosomes during cell replication. In mammals, telomerase is normally found only in embryonic and germ cells and in low levels in renewal tissue such as leukocytes. Most somatic cells have no telomerase. In contrast telomerase is found in high levels in malignant cells, allowing these cells to divide indefinitely, thus immortalizing the cell clone. Telomerase has been detected in almost 90 percent of tumors of all types tested to date. All measurements of telomerase activity in tumors reported to date have used cellular material. To our knowledge, no previous attempts at the measurement of telomerase activity in non-cellular fluids, such as plasma, have been made. We have developed preliminary data showing that telomerase is detectable in the plasma of patients with active lung cancer. Further, we have obtained preliminary data showing, in a small number of cases, a correlation between the plasma telomerase levels and clinical stage of disease. Based on these observations, we propose to examine a larger group of patients with a variety of cancers, including malignacies of the lung, esophogus, and gastrointestinal tract. We will evaluate the utility of plasma telomerase measurements as aids in the diagnosis of malignancy and as a monitoring tool during therapy to predict relapse.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Type
Research Project--Cooperative Agreements (U01)
Project #
1U01CA084988-01
Application #
6074256
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZCA1-SRRB-3 (O1))
Program Officer
Srivastava, Sudhir
Project Start
1999-09-30
Project End
2002-08-31
Budget Start
1999-09-30
Budget End
2000-08-31
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
1999
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Maryland Baltimore
Department
Pathology
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
003255213
City
Baltimore
State
MD
Country
United States
Zip Code
21201
Atha, Donald H; Miller, Karen; Sanow, Anita D et al. (2003) High-throughput analysis of telomerase by capillary electrophoresis. Electrophoresis 24:109-14