The lack of tumor-specific targets that allow for selective eradication of malignant cells
without affecting healthy tissues is a major drawback of cancer chemotherapy. In contrast to
normal cells, tumor cells frequently contain multiple centrosomes, associated with the
formation of multipolar mitotic spindles and chromosome segregation defects. In many tumor
types, mitotic stability is regained after clonal selection by coalescence of multiple
centrosomes into two functional spindle poles (centrosomal clustering). To identify potent …

In contrast to normal cells, malignant cells are frequently aneuploid and contain multiple
centrosomes. To allow for bipolar mitotic division, supernumerary centrosomes are clustered
into two functional spindle poles in many cancer cells. Recently, we have shown that
griseofulvin forces tumor cells with supernumerary centrosomes to undergo multipolar
mitoses resulting in apoptotic cell death. Here, we describe the characterization of the novel
small molecule GF-15, a derivative of griseofulvin, as a potent inhibitor of centrosomal …