ASPG and acute lymphoblastic leukemia: We also checked whether the addition of Nutlin-3 can potentiate the apoptosis-inducing effect of DNA-damaging and p53-activating chemotherapeutic drugs, such as daunorubicin, asparaginase and vincristine, which are currently used worldwide in all major childhood ALL treatment protocols.1, 26 The first two drugs activate the DNA damage checkpoint mainly by inducing DNA double- and/or single-strand breaks, whereas the latter by disrupting the mitotic spindle.