In IPF, mutations in genes related to telomerase (telomere elongating enzyme), including telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT), regulator of telomere elongation helicase 1 (RTEL1), or poly(A)-specific ribonuclease (PARN), have been found to occur in 8–15% of familial IPF and up to 11.3% of sporadic IPF patients within a lung transplant cohort [3, 4]. Here, TERT is linked to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.