Measuring telomere abundance is an important tool for understanding the role of telomere length in the health and aging of cells. Various studies have shown an association between short telomeres and age-related diseases as well as life expectancy and mortality. Therefore, the abundance of very short telomeres could be a useful biomarker for aging and age-related diseases.

Fig. 1 With aging, cells with shorter telomeres accumulate. (Vera E and Blasco M A, 2012)