Specifically, elevated Mcl-1 was shown in acute myeloid leukaemia (AML),16 mantle cell lymphoma (MCL),17 diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBL),18 non-Hodgkin's lymphoma19 and multiple myeloma (MM).20 In line with these observations, removal of Mcl-1 caused cell death of transformed AML and rescued AML-afflicted mice from disease development.21 Mcl-1 is unique among the antiapoptotic Bcl-2 members in being essential for early embryonic development. The gene discussed is MCL1; the disease is acute myeloid leukemia.