Recent reports have demonstrated that the phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI3K)/AKT pathway is a potent survival signal that may mediate resistance to the apoptotic effects of chemotherapy and radiation therapy in a variety of cancer types (Kandel and Hay, 1999; Brazil and Hemmings, 2001; Cantrell, 2001). The gene discussed is AKT1; the disease is cancer.