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Although the physiological importance of adhesion was appreciated early in the twentieth century, understanding its molecular basis was challenging. The development of complementary biochemical and immunological approaches facilitated the discovery of the cadherins, integrins and other major adhesion families and led to the molecular era of adhesion research and the formation of a new research community.
Phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) signalling is central in the regulation of cellular function. Here, Vanhaesebroecket al.review the key discoveries that led the identification of the PI3K genes and function to the design of clinical trials with PI3K inhibitors, over a period of less than three decades.