Preface
Who would have thought so? Scientists publish paper after paper, gather in meetings,
file patents, found companies, establish web sites—and all that about one
phenomenon: apoptosis, the cellular suicide program. The quest to understand this
process constitutes a field that remained for a long time as quiet as its subject of
investigation but is now the most competitive area of molecular biology.
This frenzied activity reflects a basic understanding that has made its way into the
mainstream of molecular biology: cell death is an active process that can be regulated.
The cell therefore decides its own life and death and consequently its most
fundamental fate.
Many hopes are focused on an understanding of this activity, as it could provide
the means to deal with many diseases stemming from a disregulation of apoptosis
such as cancer, stroke, autoimmune diseases, and neurodegenerative disorders. But
there is also a purely intellectual motive in studying cell death. Having lingered in
the backyard of research for so long, apoptosis constitutes a novel concept in biology
that has already made its impact on many diverse areas. And there is still plenty to
find out.
However, as the reader will notice, many exciting findings about cell death have
already set the stage to tell fascinating stories, some of which are contained in this
book. Through these, this compendium tries to convey the fascination that the field
of cell death is exuding.
My thanks to all who made this book possible: Inga Overkamp and Rita Gernert,
who helped enormously with the references; the people at BIOS, especially Dr. Nigel
Farrar, Debora Bertasi, and Eleanor Hooker; the scientists who contributed lucid
descriptions of their subjects; and their families for their patience.
Stefan Grimm