The pro-apoptotic function of eIF5A1 appears to be the only activity of eIF5A1 that is independent of hypusine modification [13,15,16], and over-expression of eIF5A1 mutated at the hypusination site, lysine 50, induces apoptosis in a wide range of cancer cell types, including colon [13], cervical [15], and blood [16]. The gene discussed is EIF5A; the disease is cancer.