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A caspase-independent way to kill cancer cells

Nature Cell Biology volume 19, pages 1014–1015 (2017)Cite this article

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Cancer treatments often focus on killing tumour cells through apoptosis, which is thought to typically require mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization (MOMP) and subsequent caspase activation. A study now shows that MOMP can trigger TNF-dependent, but caspase-independent cell death, suggesting a different approach to improve cancer therapy.

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Figure 1: Caspase-independent cell death, but not apoptosis, activates an anti-cancer immune response.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, 80045, Colorado, USA

    Brent E. Fitzwalter & Andrew Thorburn

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  1. Brent E. Fitzwalter
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  2. Andrew Thorburn
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Correspondence to Andrew Thorburn.

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Fitzwalter, B., Thorburn, A. A caspase-independent way to kill cancer cells. Nat Cell Biol 19, 1014–1015 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/ncb3604

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