Australian scientists have identified a group of proteins that could transform approaches to treating cancer and age-related diseases.

Researchers at the Children's Medical Research Institute (CMRI) in Sydney have discovered that these proteins play a crucial role in controlling telomerase, an enzyme responsible for protecting DNA during cell division, according to a recent statement by the CMRI, which led the research.

This breakthrough clarifies how telomerase both supports healthy aging and fuels cancer cell growth, highlighting new possibilities for treatments that slow aging or stop cancer by targeting these newly identified proteins.

Telomerase helps maintain the ends of chromosomes, known as telomeres, which are vital for genetic stability. While telomerase is essential for the health of stem cells and certain immune cells, cancer cells often exploit this enzyme to grow uncontrollably, said the study published in Nature Communications.

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The team discovered that three proteins -- NONO, SFPQ, and PSPC1 -- guide telomerase to chromosome ends; disrupting them in cancer cells prevents telomere maintenance, potentially stopping cancer cell growth.

"Our findings show that these proteins act like molecular traffic controllers, making sure telomerase reaches the right destination inside the cell," said Alexander Sobinoff, the lead author of the study.

Hilda Pickett, head of CMRI's Telomere Length Regulation Unit and the study's senior author, noted that understanding how telomerase is controlled opens new possibilities for developing treatments targeting cancer, aging, and genetic disorders linked to telomere dysfunction.