London, October 18 : Scientists at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne have said that telomeres, the supposedly “dead” sections of DNA that cap the ends of chromosomes, may shed some light on how cells may be prevented from turning cancerous.

Joachim Lingner and his colleagues have found that telomeres behave like genes as they make RNA copies of themselves.

The researchers suspect that his RNA may interact with the telomerase enzyme which, when switches on and rebuilds the telomeres, makes the cells immortal. This in turn may result in cancer.

If the researchers’ supposition is correct, Lingner believes that disabling the RNA with a drug might prevent cells from becoming cancerous, reports the New Scientist. (ANI)