Programmed cell death, or apoptosis, is important in the development and homeostasis of metazoans. In the nematode C. elegans, four genes, egl-1, ced-9, ced-4, and ced-3, constitute the core pathway acting in all somatic programmed cell deaths. This pathway is evolutionarily conserved in humans. The BH3-only protein EGL-1 is transcriptionally upregulated in cells fated to undergo programmed cel...

(Strauss et al., 1999). Inappropriate apoptosis also contributes to several neurological disorders. In Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Huntington’s disease, specific Stephen W. Fesik* Abbott Laboratories Abbott Park, Illinois 60064 neurons prematurely commit suicide, which can lead to irreversible memory loss, uncontrolled muscular movements, and depression. Programmed cell death plays a critical...

In the last decade, immunotherapy led to a paradigm shift in treatment of numerous malignancies. Alongside with monoclonal antibodies blocking programmed cell death receptor-1 (PD-1)/PD-L1 and cytotoxic T- lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA-4) immune checkpoints, cell-based approaches such as CAR-T cells dendritic (DC) vaccines have strongly contributed pushing forward this thrilling field. While initi...