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Telomerase is a ribonucleoprotein complex that adds telomeric DNA to the ends of linear chromosomes. Telomeres decrease in length as people age and become less protective of cellular integrity.
Now, investigators have conducted an observational study to determine whether donor cells with longer telomeres improved survival in 330 patients (median age, 15 years) who underwent allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation for severe aplastic anemia. Most patients had acquired aplastic anemia (71%) and received grafts from unrelated donors (88%). Donor age (range, 19–57) was inversely correlated with leukocyte telomere length (r, −0.20; P<0.001).
Greater donor telomere length was associated with greater recipient survival (adjusted hazard ratio, …