Inhibits growth and induces cell death in leukemic cell lines and blasts from AML patients. Significant inhibition of AKT phosphorylation was observed in M4N treated OCI-AML3 cells. The effects are not mediated by a mechanism not mediated by Cdc2 and survivin inhibition or by the extrinsic and the mitochondrial apoptotic pathways. This evidence concerns the gene BIRC5 and acute myeloid leukemia.