NF-kB is important for regulating cell proliferation and apoptosis. Failure to properly regulate NF-kB and its signaling partners is a widely recognized mechanism that drives oncogenesis. NF-kB is often constitutively active in cancer cell lines and tumor tissues. In fact, many currently approved cancer chemotherapies have been shown to activate the NF-kB pathway leading to increased resistance of the tumor to the chemotherapy. Researchers at the University of Nebraska Medical Center have created a set of compounds that are synthetic analogs of naturally derived compounds. These compounds inhibit the NF-kB pathway but they do not directly kill cancer cells. However, they are able to enhance the effectiveness of other chemotherapeutics such as gemcitibine. These compounds have been tested in various pancreatic cancer cell lines and have been compared to clinical compounds such as curcumin and parthenolide. These compounds are ideal candidates for use as adjuvants in cancer therapy to enhance the effectiveness of current chemotherapeutic drugs.