Deng et al. (2020a) described a novel function of the WIP1 inhibitor GSK283071, which suppresses stemness features in NSCLC through the activation of p38 MAPK. Specifically, the inhibition of WIP1 induced p38 MAPK phosphorylation and consequent activation of the downstream targets MK2 and HSP27 and reduction of the SOX2, OCT4, NANOG and ALDH1A1 stemness markers, sphere forming capability and tumor-initiating potential (Deng et al., 2020a). The gene discussed is PPM1D; the disease is non-small cell lung carcinoma.