Subtilisin was active at nanomolar concentrations on SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells and both subtilisin and chymotrypsin were active on SH-SY5Y cells, CaCo-2 human colorectal cancer cells, MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 human mammary adenocarcinoma cells as well as on freshly isolated tissue, in which the levels of DCC are much higher than in cancer-derived cell lines. The gene discussed is DCC; the disease is cancer.