Three Americans, Elizabeth Blackburn, Carol W. Greider and Jack W. Szostak , have just been awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine for the discovery of an enzyme that helps keep chromosomes in cells young , the committee reported.
The scientists received the award for their work on telomerase , an enzyme that " protects chromosomes against aging ," the committee explained in its announcement of the award. The final part, the tip, of the chromosomes is known as telomers. Telomeres work like a clock in cell life and shrink with each cell division, eventually reaching a minimum size that signals the cessation of division. " If telomeres shorten, cells age ", explains the Nobel committee. On the contrary, if telomerase activity is high, the length of the telomere is maintained, and cellular senescence is delayed.? This is the case of cancer cells , with long telomeres and high activity of the telomerase enzyme, to which "eternal life" is attributed.
The discovery of how it works could be the key to "eternal youth", since it could have implications not only in cancer, but also in transplants, AIDS and certain inherited diseases.
