Indication Target/marker/ pathway Summary Licensing status Publication and contact information Dermatology Dermatitis; gastrointestinal disorders Telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) Studies in mice suggest that activation of TERT could help treat aging-associated inflammatory pathologies of the skin and GI tract. TERT is the catalytic subunit of telomerase, an enzyme that helps prevent chromosomal damage associated with rapid cell division. In mice, overexpression of Tert significantly

more »

... ed the incidence of dermatitis, gastritis, enteritis and peritonitis compared with what was seen in mice not expressing Tert and in wild-type control mice (p=0.02 for both). The Tert-expressing mice had a 26% mean increase in lifespan compared with mice not expressing TERT (p=0.05). Next steps include additional preclinical studies.