TNIK is an essential regulator of Wnt signalling, and two small-molecule TNIK inhibitors with different chemical structures (NCB-0005 and NCB-0846) reproducibly blocked the TGFβ/SMAD signalling and EMT of NSCLC cells, confirming the feasibility of targeting TNIK. The gene discussed is TGFB1; the disease is non-small cell lung carcinoma.