Book excerpt: Mechanisms of Cell Death and Opportunities for Therapeutic Development, volume four in the Perspectives in Translational Cell Biology series, offers content for professors, students and researchers across basic and translational biology. The book covers fundamental mechanisms, ranging from different forms of cell death and drug development, to efforts for treating disease, providing a valuable resource for readers interested in understanding cell death and relevant translational research. The book's editor, Diaqing Liao, has over twenty years' experience teaching topics of cell death. - Provides a comprehensive overview of current knowledge on the process of apoptosis, its potential role in health and disease, and a discussion of potential alternative forms, such as autophagy - Covers fundamental mechanisms and relevant translational research