Apoptosis is when a cell commits suicide.
Scientists are trying to learn how they can modulate apoptosis, so that they can control which cells live and which undergo programmed cell death. Anti-cancer drugs and radiation, for example, work by triggering apoptosis in diseased cells.
Many diseases and disorders are linked with the life and death of cells -- increased apoptosis is a characteristic of AIDS, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, while decreased apoptosis can signal lupus or cancer. Understanding how to regulate apoptosis could be the first step to treating these conditions.
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