For this article, Steve Bunk interviewed Woodring E. Wright, cell biology professor, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Data from the Web of Science (ISI, Philadelphia) show that this paper has been cited significantly more often than the average paper of the same type and age.

A.G. Bodnar, M. Ouellette, M. Frolkis, S.E. Holt, C.P. Chiu, G.B. Morin, C.B. Harley, J.W. Shay, S. Lichtsteiner, W.E. Wright, "Extension of life-span by introduction of telomerase into normal human cells," Science, 279:349-52, Jan. 16, 1998. (Cited in more than 305 papers since publication)

In the future, how will tissues be engineered to treat certain diseases? A rapidly emerging scenario involves extracting tissue cells from a patient, screening them for defects, making repairs where necessary, expanding the healthy cells in culture, then reintroducing them to return to their tissue-specific functions. Such achievements are contingent on making normal human cells "immortal," capable of...

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