We first measured the activity of caspase 3, i.e., the caspase that irreversibly determines apoptotic death, in human (MiaPaCa2, PANC-1, AspC1) and murine (KP02, PANC02) cells, treated with the sigma-2 targeting thiosemicarbazones FA4, MLP44, PS3 and the metal chelator ACthio-1 (Fig. 2), using the same experimental conditions (50 μM for 2 h) under which sigma-2 receptor ligands have previously been found to induce cytotoxic effects against pancreatic cancer cells [3]. This evidence concerns the gene CASP3 and familial pancreatic carcinoma.