Dr Alexander Sobinoff - Funded 2015
PROJECT: The study of Telomeres
GOAL: To develop a rapid and quantitative telomere length test to measure chemotherapeutic response to telomerase inhibition.
Dr Alexander Sobinoff’s field of research is cell biology, and his area of specialty is the the study of telomeres, tiny structures at the end of your DNA that protect it from being damaged. Over time these become so short they can no longer protect the DNA, causing the cell to die.Cancer cells, however, are unique in that they’re able to re-extend their telomeres, effectively becoming immortal. Dr Sobinoff aims to discover how they do this, in a quest for new drugs that inhibit the process.
Dr Sobinoff aims to develop a rapid and reliable test to measure the length of telomeres, and then measure the effectiveness of drugs that inhibit telomere extension in the clinic.
“This technique could be used to inform clinicians about how effective current treatment is, and eventually help develop personalised medicine,” he says
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