Telomerase: The Code to Cancer

The purpose of this experiment was to observe if the confluency rates of Hela cells were affected when exposed to the telomerase inhibitor BIBR1532. The hypothesis was “If the experimental group of HeLa cells were treated with the BIBR1532 telomerase inhibitor, then the confluency rate of the HeLa cells will decrease due to cell apoptosis.” The procedure was to culture cervical cancer cells from Henrietta Lacks, and then maintain the control group with regular media, while the experimental group was to be treated with media containing the anti-telomerase. Then the cells were to be viewed under an inverted microscope to view the cell confluency. The hypothesis was supported, with the control group showing a slight increase in confluency, along with the experimental group showing a decrease in the cell confluency, and an increase in the visible deceased cells. The conclusion drawn was that the BIBR1532 telomerase inhibitor served as a successful anti-telomeric substance to the immortal cervical cancer cell line, and showed results in less than twenty-four hours. Possible applications drawn from this experiment are related to future trials on cancer treatment on cells containing active telomerase due to longevity research.