Frim today at msn.com
But UCLA immunologist Rita Effros also published a study last month on immune cells that were drawn from people with HIV. The cells were treated in the lab with a telomerase activator from Geron Corp. "Sure enough, they killed viruses better, divided longer and acted more youthful," Effros says. It's not just people with HIV who stand to benefit. "Many diseases of aging involve a weakened immune system," she says. But because too much telomerase could theoretically boost cancer risks, "it will be a long and difficult job to make sure a telomerase drug is safe," says Blackburn.