A study published in the journal Cells on the effects of cigarette smoke on the ends of chromosomes, called telomeres, is from research conducted in the laboratory of University of Illnois Cancer Center member Neelu Puri, PhD, an associate professor in the University of Illinois College of Medicine Rockford Department of Biomedical Sciences.
The article entitled “The Effects of Smoking on Telomere Length, Induction of Oncogenic Stress, and Chronic Inflammatory Responses Leading to Aging,” provides insights into how smoking is related to the shortening of telomeres, which may lead to cancer and inflammatory diseases in smokers.