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IJE Advance Access published online on September 22, 2006
International Journal of Epidemiology, doi:10.1093/ije/dyl169
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Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the International Epidemiological Association © The Author 2006; all rights reserved.
Accepted July 5, 2006

Review

Human telomere biology: pitfalls of moving from the laboratory to epidemiology

Abraham Aviv 1 *, Ana M. Valdes 2, and Tim D. Spector 2

1 The Center of Human Development and Aging of the New Jersey Medical School, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Newark, NJ, USA
2 Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology Unit, Kings College London, St Thomas' Campus, London, UK

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abraham Aviv, E-mail: avivab{at}umdnj.edu


  Abstract

Remarkable progress has been made during the last 2 decades in understanding telomere biology at the molecular and cellular levels. Clinical epidemiology research of human telomeres, in contrast, is a discipline just coming into its own. The most important observation in studying human telomere biology is that telomere length is highly variable among humans. Here we explain some of the reasons for this variability and propose several principles that should be considered in conducting epidemiological telomere research. Ignoring these principles could lead to misleading conclusions.

Keywords: Telomere; leukocyte; lymphocytes; ageing.
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