Telomere dataset used for calculating bulk and chromosome specific telomere length

Short telomeres cause age-related disease and long telomeres predispose to
cancer; however, the mechanisms regulating telomere length are unclear. To
probe these mechanisms,  we developed a nanopore sequencing
method, Telomere Profiling, that identified mean telomere length to
similar a Southern and to the clinical FlowFISH assay.  We mapped
telomere reads to specific chromosome ends and, strikingly, could identify
chromosome end-specific lengths that differed by more than 6kb. 
We measured chromosome end-specific telomere lengths for 147 individuals
and found that specific chromosome ends were consistently shorter or
longer. This rank order of specific chromosome end telomere lengths was
also found in newborn cord blood, suggesting telomere length is determined
at birth. The average telomere length at birth was ~8kb +/- 250 bp,
shorter than previously estimated. Understanding the mechanisms regulating
length will allow deeper insights into telomere biology that can lead to
new approaches to disease.