Recent clinical interest in the inhibition of mTOR has been renewed with the demonstration of antitumour activity in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma.8 By contrast, studies have failed to show antitumour efficacy in patients with pancreatic cancer.9, 10 However, these phase II clinical trials were performed in patients with gemcitabine-refractory disease, and with no patient selection based on the molecular pathology of the tumour. The gene discussed is MTOR; the disease is neoplasm.