Exploiting Autophagy to Kill Cancer Cells

Scientists at Stanford have identified a compound that kills most kidney cancer cells without disturbing normal tissue. A new weapon against renal cell carcinoma would be welcome enough. But this research and other recent findings are pointing to how the emerging understanding of autophagy, a natural regulatory process in cells, may be useful in the design of new therapies in cancer and also, potentially, neurodegenerative and immunologic diseases.