Signal Failure

The ability to study our DNA at scale provides new ways to understand why long term health conditions develop and how to treat them effectively. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the second most common cause of emergency hospital admissions in the UK and affects 1.2 million people. Why do some smokers develop COPD and others do not? Why are one-fifth of people with COPD non-smokers? These answers lie in large part in our DNA. I will describe how we undertake our research and the clues it provides us, and how these clues can lead to new, improved medicines.

DNA in human cells is packaged into 23 pairs of chromosomes; one from each parent. The ends of chromosomes are called telomeres. These structures can be a double-edged sword. Telomeres can stop ‘old’ cells that might contain cancer from dividing, but old cells accumulate as we age and contribute to tissue deterioration. This is further complicated because cancer cells must actively maintain telomeres to grow and spread. The evidence that telomere length is linked to age is strong but the relationship is complex. Now people can pay to have their telomeres measured - but is it money well spent?