An orally bioavailable phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitor with potential antineoplastic activity. PI3K inhibitor BEZ235 specifically inhibits PIK3 in the PI3K/AKT kinase (or protein kinase B) signaling pathway, which may trigger the translocation of cytosolic Bax to the mitochondrial outer membrane, increasing mitochondrial membrane permeability; apoptotic cell death may ensue. Bax is a member of the proapoptotic Bcl2 family of proteins.
