Business & Money | Friday 16 September, 2016 5:46 pm |

Life Length, based in Madrid, Spain, the world leader in telomere testing appoints Eastern Biotech as its exclusive partner in the region to launch this state of the art diagnostic product.

Are Telomeres the key to aging? Telomere Analysis Technology® has the potential to estimate true Biological age and help in early intervention of lifestyle disorders.  

Telomere length is increasingly being recognized as an independent variable in predicting disease. A study of more than 43,000 subjects reported in the British Medical Journal concluded that telomere length is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. A large meta-analysis showed significant association between shortened telomere length and Type 2 diabetes. Other studies are showing that the finding of short telomeres may be associated with the aggressiveness of certain cancers.

The field of telomere biology has grown dramatically since the award of the 2009 Nobel Prize for the discovery of telomerase. Clinicians today are increasingly becoming interested in incorporating telomere testing into their practices. This is largely driven by two factors: a growing understanding of the role telomeres play in personalized medicine; and increasing consumer demand for integrative treatment that can slow the aging process.

Dr. Faruq Badiuddin, Managing Director Eastern Biotech & life sciences explains, "The development of reliable commercial testing now allows for the measurement of individual telomere lengths and quantification of the number of critically short telomeres, both key determinants in overall cellular health. Measurement of this novel biomarker holds promise for improving early disease identification, risk assessment, and treatment of lifestyle disorders such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and some cancers." Advance bookings for the test are underway and appointments will begin early August.

Stephen J. Matlin, Chief Executive Officer for Life Length quotes, "Perhaps the greatest value of telomere testing is in obtaining serial measurements by incorporating it as part of an annual health status assessment. It is like a report card, letting both the physician and the patient know how well the total intervention and program is working. This requires two pieces of data: 1) the number and percent of critically short telomeres and, 2) the rate of telomere attrition. Annual snapshots may also serve as powerful lifestyle behavior change motivators or as tools to enhance treatment adherence."