Grant: Operating Grant

Elimination of cells is an important process, essential for development, maintaining normal tissue status and eliminating damaged or virus-infected cells and as a front line defense for eliminating cancer cells. The elimination of cells is programmed into the cell's DNA and pathways for self-destruction of the cell are activated in response to stress signals. Mutations that interfere with the ability of a cell to kill itself or lead to killing of otherwise normal cells has serious consequences and can result in diseases such as cancer or degenerative diseases. The Bcl-2 family of proteins are amoung the key regulators of the programmed cell death pathway. Our research aims to elucidate the function of this protein family at multiple levels. Such studies have been translated into therapy with the discovery and development of obatoclax, a drug that antagonizes Bcl-2 survival proteins. This drug is currently in clinical trials to assess its promise as a new targeted anti-cancer agent.