Several lines of evidence also show an important role of BIM in targeted therapies-induced apoptosis.18 For example, EGFR inhibition with erlotinib or gefitinib leads to an increased expression of BIM that is critical for induction of apoptosis in cancer cells expressing activated mutant EGFR.32,33 Both AKT and MAPK survival pathways are known to negatively regulate BIM stability.18 Consistent with these observations, EGFR inhibitors (cetuximab, gefitinib, erlotinib) or the pharmacological inhibition of both AKT and MAPK pathways induces BIM stabilization in IGROV1-R10 cells. This evidence concerns the gene AKT1 and cancer.