Potential of telomerase activation in extending health span and longevity

The progressive increase in the elderly population worldwide has resulted in higher numbers of individuals affected by age-associated diseases, such as neurodegenerative and heart diseases, metabolic impairment, or cancer, with the subsequent burden for national health systems. Therapeutic interventions aimed to increase the quality of life at advanced age are visualized as important demands for the future, both at the level of individuals and society. Novel advances in telomerase function from several independent laboratories have resulted in potential new therapeutic strategies which appear as promising new venues to prevent cellular and tissue dysfunction and organismal decline, thereby increasing the so-called health span. Here, we analyze these recent advances.