Regulation of cancer cell growth and death: Evaluating new anticancer targets

Genes that affect the growth and death of cancer cells have obvious potential as targets for new forms of anticancer therapy. Which of these targets will give the desired result is much less obvious. Using homologous recombination to knock out genes in human cancer cells has proven to be a reliable approach for evaluating how specific genes affect cellular responses to drugs and radiation. Recent studies of this kind have revealed several genes that can modulate the responses of human cancer cells to chemopreventive agents and to established and experimental forms of anticancer therapy.