Why do cancer cells actually die in response to chemotherapy? Cancer cells are generally said to be resistant to apoptosis (e.g. due to p53 mutation, BCL-2 overexpression, etc) so you'd think chemo would never work. But it does work very well in some cases but not others. Why? Lately the Letai lab has been looking at this question using BH3 profiling and made a number of exciting and high profile observations summarized by Kris Sarosiek here. Also, in eLife, Jim Wells' lab at UCSF takes an interesting 'omics approach to understanding how proteasomal inhibition leads to the death of myeloma cancer cells.