Telomere trouble in ALT cancers: what causes damage and how it happens
Official title: Defining the causes and consequences of telomeric DNA damage in the Alternative Lengthening of Telomeres Pathway
Funded at Boston University Medical Campus · NIH-11630744 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers are studying why some cancer cells use ALT to lengthen telomeres and how replication stress damages telomeres, aiming to uncover key processes that could be targeted in patients.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Boston University Medical Campus NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project start | September 17, 2026 |
| Project end | August 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $163,500 |
| NIH project number | 1R56CA308159-01A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11630744 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Patients with cancers that rely on the ALT pathway (telomere maintenance via homologous recombination) may benefit from future targeted approaches.
✕Less likely to help
This specific grant focuses on basic mechanisms and may not directly translate to immediate patient therapies.
What this research studies
This project looks at how ALT cancers elongate telomeres through DNA recombination and how replication stress at telomeres contributes to DNA damage. The team will map DNA replication at ALT telomeres with long-read sequencing to see exactly when and where problems occur. By isolating telomeric DNA and applying replication fork mapping, they hope to reveal the precise kinetics of replication at these sites. The findings could point to new ways to intervene in cancers that rely on ALT for telomere maintenance.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Better understanding of ALT telomere biology could lead to targeted therapies for cancers that depend on ALT.
How similar studies have gone: Prior work suggests ALT telomere biology is complex but tractable with advanced sequencing approaches; this project builds on that foundation with newer techniques.
Where this research is happening
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Boston University Medical Campus
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Flynn, Rachel L. — Boston University Medical Campus
- Study coordinator: Flynn, Rachel L.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.