Telomeres are repetitive nucleotide elements at the ends of chromosomes that protect chromosomes from degradation and genetic information loss. Normal diploid cells lose telomeres with each cell cycle. Telomere length, therefore, decreases over time and may predict lifespan. Telomere shortening has negative effects on health conditions and has been linked to many health issues including aging and cancer. Accurate and consistent quantification of telomere length is important in many aspects of cell biology such as chromosomal instability, DNA repair, senescence, apoptosis, cell dysfunctions, and oncogenesis.

ScienCell's Absolute Human Telomere Length Quantification qPCR Assay Kit (AHTLQ) is designed to directly measure the average telomere length of a human cell population. The telomere primer set recognizes and amplifies telomere sequences. The single copy reference (SCR) primer set recognizes and amplifies a 100 bp-long region on human chromosome 17, and serves as reference for data normalization. The reference genomic DNA sample with known telomere length serves as a reference for calculating the telomere length of target samples. The carefully designed primers ensure: (i) high efficiency for trustworthy quantification; and (ii) no non-specific amplification. Each primer set has been validated by qPCR with melt curve analysis and gel electrophoresis for amplification specificity and by template serial dilution for amplification efficiency.