XIAP is overexpressed in many tumours in which it confers resistance to chemotherapeutic agents (Li et al, 2004; Oost et al, 2004) and to TRAIL, an apoptosis-inducing biotherapeutic drug (Walczak et al, 1999) currently tested in various clinical trials (Ashkenazi and Herbst, 2008; Newsom-Davis et al, 2009). The gene discussed is XIAP; the disease is neoplasm.