A century of cell death research

The fact that cells die during development, metamorphosis and tissue homeostasis was recognized well over a century ago. However, aside from noting and classifying such cell death events, research into the mechanisms of regulated cell death did not 'take off' until about 35 years ago. Since then, our understanding of the different ways that cells die and how this comes about has blossomed. In celebration of the 100-year anniversary of the Journal of Cell Science's publisher The Company of Biologists, this Perspective article presents an overview of the past 100-plus years of cell death research, touching on the history of apoptosis, necroptosis and other forms of cell death.