The protein levels of Bcl-xl, Mcl-1, and survivin, which have been reported to protect cancer bulk cells and residual disease against treatment35, expressed higher in CRC cells than in normal CCD-18Co cells and CADPE decreased these pro-survival proteins with an exception for Bcl-xl, which was mildly decreased in HCT-8 (Fig. 1b). The gene discussed is BCL2L1; the disease is cancer.