Too much telomerase, spurred by the actions of even normal variants of telomerase genes, can increase risks of developing several forms of cancer. And overactive telomerase fuels most cancers once they turn malignant. But even this “dark side” of telomerase may not always be dark. Researchers have learned that telomerase is hyperactive in roughly 80 to 90 percent of malignant human cancers, with levels that are turned up ten to hundreds of times as high as in normal cells. This discovery may one day turn out to be a potent weapon in our fight against the disease. If telomerase is necessary for
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