Apoptosis, a unique mode of cell death that occurs physiologically as part of a “program” to eliminate unwanted cells, was first described in 1972 (1) and is now one of the most active areas of biologic research. This process occurs during development, as a defense mechanism when cells are damaged by disease or toxins, and as a major constituent of normal homeostatic maintenance. Many biochemical assays have been developed to detect and quanitify apoptosis, but altered nuclear morphology is the most reliable feature.
