The goal is to learn more about telomere length and other markers of ageing, how best to measure these markers, how they are related to health and lifestyle, and how people respond to learning their own telomere length results.
Checking your telomere length is a bit like weighing yourself: you get this single number which depends on a lot of factors. Telomere length gives a sense of your underlying health.
I was using very unconventional methods to sequence the telemetric DNA, originally.
Being senior enough in the field, having enough solidity, I don't feel afraid of being marginalized.
If a test showed you had telomere shortening, it would be a red flag suggesting you should take a look at possible risk factors.
In 2004, results from a study that I worked on with colleagues at the University of California, San Francisco, linked chronic stress to shortening of telomeres.
