New research shows that an enzyme called PARP1 is involved in telomere repair and that disrupting this process can lead to telomere shortening and genomic instability associated with cancer. The discovery that PARP1 alters DNA opens up new ways to understand and improve cancer therapies that inhibit PARP1. The researchers say this discovery “... is a game changer as we may be able to target this aspect of PARP1 biology to improve cancer treatment.”