A Brief History of Apoptosis: from Ancient to Modern Times

The purpose of this article is to sketch the evolution of research on cell death and apoptosis from ancient to modern times. Early use of the term can be found in the texts of Hippocrates, whereas the first description of apoptotic cell death should be attributed to Rudolf Virchow. Glucksman, in 1951, rediscovered and reviewed cell death during embryonic development. Milestone discoveries in biology in the 20th century led biologists to the discovery of apoptotic mechanisms, soon after the definition of apoptosis by Kerr in 1972. The involvement of programmed cell death in the pathogenesis of various diseases and abnormalities gave a huge boost in the research of apoptosis. Nowadays, research is focused on the elucidation of apoptotic mechanisms, since the possibility of modulating cell death by targeting specific factors involved in the whole process could be the key for cure of diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer's disease, and AIDS.