Deconvolution of Buparlisib’s mechanism of action defines specific PI3K and tubulin inhibitors for therapeutic intervention

Buparlisib/BKM120 is in phase 3 clinical trials as a phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitor. Here, Bohnackeret al. combine chemical biology and structural biology approaches to segregate BKM120’s biological actions, and suggest that it causes mitotic arrest predominantly by binding microtubules and disrupting their dynamics.