In the US, like much of the developed world, cancer is the second most common cause of death after cardiovascular disease. Together between 1970 and 1994, Lung, Colon, Breast, Prostate and Pancreatic cancers claimed more than 5 million lives in the US alone. Considering these statistics and the often sub-optimal treatment options, it is unsurprising that anti-cancer drugs have received more attention from the pharmaceutical industry than any other drugs. 

Cancer is characterized by uncontrolled proliferation and in most cases reduced apoptosis. Despite the attractiveness of proapoptotic strategies and the level of research focussing on the development of such drugs clinical progress has been disappointing to date. Thus the search for effective targets continues. One such target includes apicidin a novel fungal metabolite, that exhibits potent, broad spectrum antiprotozoal activity in vitro against Apicomplexan parasites that cause serious, life-threatening human and animal diseases, such as malaria, cryptosporidiosis, toxoplasmosis, and coccidiosis. Apicidin's antiparasitic activity appears to be due to low nanomolar inhibition of Apicomplexan histone deacetylase (HDA), which induces hyperacetylation of histones in treated parasites. The acetylation-deacetylation of histones is thought to play a central role in transcriptional control in eukaryotic cells and indeed HDA inhibitors have been developed for the treatment of cancer. More recently, apicidin has been shown to reduce cancer progression through the induction of p21WAF1 which plays a crucial role in the control of cell cycling and this activity is currently being exploited by Merck researchers. Most recently Korean scientists have shown that apicidin might induce apoptosis in leukemic HL60 cells through selective induction of Fas/Fas ligand, resulting in the release of cytochrome c from the mitochondria to the cytosol and subsequent activation of caspase-9 and caspase-3. The further development of apicidin as an indirect means of evoking apoptosis is eagerly awaited and in particular studies showing the relative activity of apicidin or it's analogues in cancerous and non-cancerous cells should be of interest.