Services
TeloNostiX utilises two platform technologies for high-resolution telomere length analysis based on the underlying Single Telomere Length Analysis (STELA) assay pioneered by Professor Baird.
The TeloNostiX technologies are ideally suited for basic, translational science and clinical applications.
We pride ourselves on our excellent customer service, underpinned by scientific expertise and a professional commitment to our clients. We strive to deliver reliable, accurate results and a responsive, personalised service.
HT-STELA
Our High-Throughput STELA (HT-STELA) service is accredited to ISO/IEC 17025:2017 by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) providing independent recognition of the laboratory's technical competence for activities included within its accredited scope
HT-STELA has been developed for high-throughput analysis and clinical laboratory applications offering excellent measurement precision, with an intra-assay CV of less than 2% and an inter-assay CV of less than 3%.
Requiring as little as 300µL blood or approximately 50,000 cells, it is ideally suited to large research cohorts and clinical research samples.
SM-STELA
Our Single Molecule STELA (SM-STELA) is a high-resolution, chromosome-specific telomere length analysis, requiring as few as 3,000 cells.
The technology is particularly suited to bespoke research projects where detailed analysis of individual chromosome ends is required.
SM-STELA Can be used in conjunction with high-speed cell sorting to investigate specific cell populations and support specialised research applications.
Both HT-STELA and SM-STELA can be performed using whole blood (fresh, frozen and dried blood spots), isolated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), tissue samples and purified genomic DNA.
If you are considering using our telomere length measurement services and would like further information about sample requirements, please get in touch.
Applications of high-resolution telomere analysis
Telomere Biology Disorders
Telomere Biology Disorders (TBDs) exhibit diverse clinical manifestations, but they share the common genetic feature of short telomeres. These so-called ‘telomeropathies’ are rare diseases but can have a huge impact on affected individuals.
TeloNostiX offers rapid high-resolution telomere length analysis for diagnostic screening of patients with potential telomere disorders.
We provide telomere length analysis for NHS centres across the UK as well as centres in Europe, Australia and New Zealand.
Patient selection for cellular therapies
Chronic inflammation can drive premature ageing of cancer patient’s immune cells.
Telomere length provides a marker of cell division and thus a readout of the replicative potential of cellular therapies. Furthermore, we have shown that telomere shortening in immune cells can lead to diminished cellular function - functions that are required for effective recognition and eradication of cancer cells.
Our technologies therefore have the potential to identify patients who are more suitable to cell based therapies, which may lead to improved and sustained clinical benefits in those individuals.
Cancer patient prognosis
Our high-resolution telomere analysis technologies have been shown to be prognostic in a wide range of haematological and non-haematological cancers, often demonstrating independent and superior prognostic value than the commonly used markers in multivariate analysis.
Our technologies can reliably identify patients with early-stage disease that have a higher likelihood of progression. This ability may be useful for both patients and their clinicians in guiding therapeutic interventions.
This is advantageous for individual patients, but also valuable for commercial pharma companies when considering patient selection and equilibration in clinical trials.
Cancer patient predictive response to anticancer therapy
We have demonstrated the power of HT-STELA as a predictive biomarker of response to chemoimmunotherapy. HT-STELA was able to reliably predict the progression-free and overall survival of patients enrolled in two clinical trials. Furthermore, in multivariate analysis it was shown to be the strongest determinant of clinical outcome in the presence of all the currently used prognostic tools.
Basic and translational scientific studies
From small bespoke projects examining telomere dynamics in rare cellular subsets, to large cohort analysis. The ability to analyse small numbers of cells, but also to rapidly manage very large numbers of samples makes TeloNostiX ideally placed to assist you with your research.