Hitherto, the mechanism of resistance to AURKA inhibitors have not been identified, although some studies have advocated that mutations in the targeted kinase domain of Aurora kinase and the overexpression of drug resistance genes may be involved.41 Consistent with previous findings,13 we have showed here and also previously that the failure of some of these kinase inhibitors for AURKA may be caused by the non-kinase dependent transactivating function of AURKA in the nucleus that enhances the cancer stem cell properties. The gene discussed is AURKA; the disease is cancer.