The Clinical Development of Aurora Kinase Inhibitors in Acute Myeloid Leukemia

The Aurora family of serine/threonine kinases is essential for chromosome alignment, segregation, centrosomal maturation, mitotic spindle formation, and cytokinesis during mitosis. Their fundamental role in cell cycle regulation and aberrant expression in a broad range of malignancies prompted the development of small molecules that selectively inhibit their activity. Recent studies have revealed new insights into the cellular effects of Aurora kinase inhibition in the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Moreover, early-phase clinical studies on AML have shown that these agents have therapeutic efficacy both alone and in combination with chemotherapy.