Aurora kinase inhibitors

Most human cancer cells are characterized by changes in the amount or organization of DNA resulting in chromosome instability and aneuploidy. Several mitotic kinases, Aurora kinases amongst others, regulate the progression of the cell through mitosis. So far three Aurora kinases have been identified in man: Aurora-A, Aurora-B and Aurora-C. Aurora kinases were recently identified as a potential target in anticancer therapy, and various Aurora-A and Aurora-B kinase inhibitors are in development. In this review we provide a brief insight into the mechanism of action as far as currently available. We review the available pre-clinical data, discuss the clinical phase I data and try to give a direction for future headings. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.