The PIM kinase, also known as serine/threonine kinase plays an important role in cancer biology and is found in three different isoforms namely PIM-1, PIM-2, and PIM-3. Pim kinases are mainly responsible for cell cycle regulation, antiapoptotic activity and the homing and migration of receptor tyrosine kinases mediated via the JAK/STAT pathway.
Pim kinases are over-expressed in various types of tumors and regulate the activation of signaling pathways that are important for tumor cell proliferation, survival and expression of drug efflux proteins. This makes Pim kinases attractive targets for the development of anti-cancer chemotherapeutic drugs.