N.W. Kim, M.A. Piatyszek, K.R. Prowse, C.B. Harley, M.D. West, P.L.C. Ho, G.M. Coviello, W.E. Wright, S.L. Weinrich, J.W. Shay, "Specific association of human telomerase activity with immortal cells and cancer," Science, 266:2011-5, 1994. (Cited in nearly 80 publications through April 1996)
Comments by Jerry Shay, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas
END RUN: Texas' Jerry Shay, left and Woody Wright developed a telomerase activity assay. Although telomeres-the tips of chromosomes-have been studied since the early part of this century, it wasn't until a few years ago that the field really took off (R. Lewis, The Scientist, Feb. 19, 1996, page 12). This paper, published in December 1994, describes a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based assay for measuring the activity of telomerase, the enzyme that controls telomere length. But more important, according to Jerry Shay, a professor of cell biology and neuroscience at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center ...
