Ebook: Apoptosis and Cancer Chemotherapy

The past few years have witnessed an astonishing international effort that established the role of some 20 new molecules in apoptosis and added activation or suppression of apoptosis to the accepted biological functions of a great many others already familiar in cancer biology. Some of these molecules are receptors, transducing cytokine-mediated signals; others appear to intensify or diminish the risk that a compro­ mised cell will fire its apoptosis effector mechanism. All are of interest as potential targets for tumor therapy, and some may prove to be control points influenced in the pathogenesis of cancer and other diseases as diverse as viral infection, neurodegenerative disorders, and stroke. Sometimes, in the midst of these developments, a kind of euphoria ap­ pears to have gripped the research community, with the expectation that apoptosis will afford explanations to many unsolved questions in cellu­ lar regulation. This book, in a series of thoughtful and provocative ar­ ticles--some from established leaders in the field, and others from younger scientists--seeks to redress the balance.

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This collection of thoughtful and provocative articles focused on the key issues in apoptosis, ranges from the role of apoptosis in defining the response of authentic tumor populations to chemotherapeutic agents to the mechanisms coupling DNA damage to the activation pathway of apoptosis. It reviews the profusion of new signaling, modulating, and effector molecules now implicated in apoptosis and whether other routes to "programmed" cell death may exist. Also addressed are the nature of the molecules that will either constitute targets for future drugs or influence the efficacy of current therapies, as well as mechanistic questions on the control of apoptosis. By focusing on essential questions and critically summarizing the overwhelming tide of recent research results, Apoptosis and Cancer Chemotherapy illuminates not only the potential targets for tumor therapy, but beyond that, potential control points for cancer and such diverse diseases as viral infection, neurodegenerative disorders, and stroke. This collection of cutting-edge reviews by established leaders in the field critically summarizes the recent discoveries concerning apoptosis, cell suicide. The book looks forward to the time when such cell death can be controlled to treat cancer and a host of other diseases as diverse as viral infection, neurodegenerative disorders, and stroke.