mk-5108, also known as vx-689, is a novel, potent and selective inhibitor of aurora a kinase (aak) that competitively binds to the atp binding site of aak and hence potently inhibits the activity of aak with 50% inhibition concentration ic50 value of 0.064 nm. mk-5108 also inhibits other members of aurora kinase family, including aurora b kinase (ic50 = 14 nm) and aurora c kinase (ic50 = 12 nm), with a lesser potency. mk-5108 has been extensively studies and found to exhibit antitumor activity in a wide range of cancer types, including breast, cervix, colorectal, ovary and pancreas neoplasms.myke r. green, bs, pharm.d., bcop, joseph e. woolery, bs, pharm.d, and daruka mahadevan, md, phd. update on aurora kinase targeted therapeutics in oncology. recent pat anticancer drug discov. 2008 november ; 3(3): 162–177.
