Once such inhibitors are identified, we believe that they will be able to induce much more potent apoptosis than what nutlin-3 or MI219 can: In normal p53-carrying cancer patients, treatment with a compound producing the simultaneous inhibition of MDM2 and XIAP should result not only in the activation of p53, but also in induction of caspases 3, 7 and 9. The gene discussed is MDM2; the disease is cancer.