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Updated: Aug 17, 2026

Examining BCL-2 Family Function with Large Unilamellar Vesicles
Published on: October 5, 2012
Killing cancer cells by flipping the Bcl-2/Bax switch
1The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, 1G Royal Parade, Parkville, Victoria 3050, Australia. cory@wehi.edu.au
Abstract:
Impairment of apoptosis, the physiologic cell death process, is central to cancer development and renders tumors refractory to cytotoxic therapy. Bcl-2, the oncoprotein activated in follicular lymphoma, inhibits the conserved cell death pathway triggered by diverse cytotoxic agents, as do several close relatives. A small-molecule antagonist of these proteins has now been designed by Oltersdorf et al. Strikingly, ABT-737 sensitizes many tumors to cytotoxic agents and is effective as a single agent against certain lymphomas and solid tumors, provoking stable regression in some tumor xenografts. Hence, this work validates Bcl-2-like proteins as important new targets in cancer therapy.
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