Telomere length is highly heterogeneous and varies with cell type, age, and individual. Most current measurements of telomere length use the average of cell populations. However, it is worth noting that methods to quantify the length of individual telomeres can provide valuable information about telomere length distribution.
Telomere Length Measurement in Single Cells
Extremely short telomeres are usually the cause of age-related pathology. The longest telomeres are markers of the adult stem cell compartment. These findings all suggest that individual telomere length heterogeneity plays a very important role in cancer, aging, and other human diseases.
Thus, the ability to measure the telomere length of individual cells is important for the study of cellular senescence, age-related diseases, and human development.
