Definition

The sodium salt form of alisertib, a second-generation, orally bioavailable, selective inhibitor of the serine/threonine protein kinase Aurora A kinase, with potential antineoplastic activity. Upon oral administration, alisertib targets, binds to and inhibits Aurora A kinase, which may result in disruption of the assembly of the mitotic spindle apparatus, disruption of chromosome segregation, and inhibition of cell proliferation in susceptible cancer cells. Aurora A kinase localizes to the spindle poles and to spindle microtubules during mitosis, and is thought to regulate spindle assembly. Aberrant expression of Aurora kinases occurs in a wide variety of cancers and plays a key role in cancer cell proliferation.