Cell death research has come a long way from the description of cellular phenomena to identification of pathways to the role of apoptosis in tissue homeostasis in the pathophysiology of diseases and the delineation of targets for therapeutic intervention. In this very personal view of a clinical researcher in the field from the very beginning to recent clinical application, essential elements of cell death research over the past decades are seen from a perspective of development of science and medicine. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.