{description}The concept of immortality has intrigued mankind since the very beginning. From the first major literary work, the Epic of Gilgamesh, to the Bible and other religious texts to modern fantasies such as Harry Potter, we find the theme of immortality rooted in our culture and our imagination. However, immortality is not merely the subject of fiction. It exists on a cellular level—when man is formed from the division of embryonic stem cells, and when cancer develops from malignant cells’ uncontrollable growth. One important player in cellular immortality is telomerase. Telomerase is a massive enzyme complex that prevents a cell from aging by preserving the integrity of its DNA during cellular division. Since its discovery in 1984, scientists and pharmaceutical companies have been intensely interested in the enzyme because of its implications in both cellular and systemic aging, stem cell proliferation, and cancer.{/description}