A second-generation antisense oligonucleotide directed against survivin mRNA with potential antitumor activity. Gataparsen sodium hybridizes to survivin mRNA, thereby blocking translation of survivin protein, a member of the inhibitor of apoptosis (IAP) family. Silencing the expression of survivin may result in the restoration of the apoptotic process in tumor cells, facilitating chemotherapeutic treatment. Survivin, expressed during embryonal development, is upregulated in a variety of human cancers while absent in most normal adult cells; its expression in tumors is associated with a more aggressive phenotype, shorter survival times, and a decreased response to chemotherapy. Check foractive clinical trials using this agent.