To test whether triterpenoids CDDO and CDDO-Im (Figure 1) induce apoptosis of human and mouse CLL cells ex vivo, CLL cells from human patients and splenocytes from TRAF2DN/Bcl-2 double positive mice were cultured in the presence of various concentrations of CDDO and CDDO-Im. The gene discussed is BCL2; the disease is B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia.