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Nature Reviews Drug Discovery 7, 977 (1 December 2008) | doi:10.1038/nrd2773

Apoptosis: New strategies to tip the BCL-2 balance

Alexandra Flemming

The BCL-2 family, which is composed of pro- and anti-apoptotic proteins that regulate the mitochondrial pathway of programmed cell death, is a hotly pursued target for anticancer drugs. Most therapeutic approaches focus on inhibiting the function of the pro-survival protein BCL-2, thereby shifting the balance towards cell death.