Compositions and methods are disclosed that employ Tousled-like kinase to selectively protect normal tissues from the adverse effects of radiation therapy, genotoxic chemotherapy and the like without protecting cancer tissues or to sensitize cancer cells to such cancer therapies without similarly sensitizing normal tissues or both protect normal cells and sensitize cancer cells. The compositions and methods may be used as a complementary therapy to selectively reduce adverse effects of the principal therapy (radiation therapy or chemotherapy) in normal tissues, with minimal impact on the antitumor effects of the principal therapy.
