MELK (Maternal Embryonic Leucine zipper Kinase) is a cell cycle dependent protein which functions in cytokinesis, cell cycle, apoptosis, cell proliferation, and mRNA processing []. It is found upregulated in many types of cancer cells, playing an indispensable role in cancer cell survival. It makes an attractive target in the design of inhibitors for use in the treatment of a wide range of human cancer [].
