Abstract
The Aurora kinase family comprises three important regulatory proteins of mitosis: Aurora kinases A, B and C. Their dysfunction is associated with abnormal cell division, aneuploidy and possibly tumorigenesis. In addition, overexpression and/or amplification of Aurora kinase A or B has been demonstrated in various cancers. These observations suggested that the Aurora kinases might be attractive therapeutic targets in oncology. Drugs targeting the mitotic spindle such as taxanes and vinca alkaloids have been notably successful in cancer medicine. The Aurora kinase inhibitors represent the latest entrants into this arena. Inhibitors of Aurora kinases have shown promising results in preclinical studies, and are currently under evaluation in numerous clinical trials. Considerable additional work will be required in order to optimize their use in the clinic, including identifying biomarkers for selection of sensitive tumors, refining the administration schedule of these agents and developing useful combinations of Aurora kinase inhibitors with existing cancer therapeutics. This review article will summarize the function of each of the Aurora kinases, with emphasis on their role in tumorigenesis and interactions with other cellular pathways that govern tumor biology. It also discusses those inhibitors that are in the clinic and summarizes the early clinical data.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 845-858 |
Number of pages | 14 |
Journal | Drugs of the Future |
Volume | 35 |
Issue number | 10 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Oct 2010 |