Activation of ERK is commonly observed in cancers, such as mesothelioma, where it occurs in 75% of patients.9–11 We hypothesised that a combination of FAK and MEK inhibition may provide greater anticancer effect than FAK monotherapy, supported by preclinical evidence of synergistic growth inhibition and cell death between GSK2256098 and trametinib across a range of mesothelioma cell lines (GSK Internal data; manuscript in preparation). This evidence concerns the gene MAP2K7 and cancer.