Between 1970 and 1994, cancer claimed the lives of about 0.5 million Americans every year. According to the most recent statistics, it is estimated that 1.28 million new cases of cancer will be diagnosed and 555,500 people will die from cancer in the United States in the year 2002. A further 1 million Americans will die as a result of cardiovascular disease, and together the two disease account for about 60% of all deaths. The principal cause of cardiovascular disease is atherosclerosis. Causing considerable pain and disability in it's own right, atherosclerotic plaque progression and destabilization results in plaque rupture and occlusive thrombosis. Thrombotic diseases including myocardial infarction, stroke, peripheral occlusive arterial disease and pulmonary embolism, affect almost 20 million people in the US alone contributing to most cases of cardiovascular death. Stroke and peripheral occlusive arterial disease also contribute strongly to permanent disability following paralysis or limb loss. Consequently improved therapies able to prevent the progression of atherosclerosis and cancer are much in need. Vitamin E analogues may satisfy both needs. Vitamin E is an endogenous redox-active component of circulating lipoproteins and (sub)cellular membranes that can limit the progression of atherosclerosis by blocking the oxidative modification of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and thus decrease its uptake into the arterial lumen. Recent data reveal that the activities of vitamin E analogues may extend to the treatment of cancer. In particular, alpha-Tocopheryl succinate (alpha-TOS) at nontoxic levels, triggered apoptosis in cancer cells, limiting tumor progression. Proapoptotic effects are apparently related to lysosomal destabilization and inhibition of protein kinase C. Apoptogenic activity varies amongst vitamin E analogues, suggesting that SAR studies or HTS of targeted libraries could optimize this exciting new class of anti-cancer drugs. Likewise, the results of clinical studies investigating the possible therapeutic role of vitamin E in cardiovascular disease have to date been less promising than hoped, a situation that could also be improved through lead optimization. Researchers at Griffith University in Australia in collaboration with Swedish and German research groups have emerged as field leaders in this research area and as such they industrial collaboration may be a mutually beneficial way of meeting this challenge.

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