EMD 534085 does not inhibit any other tested kinesins (BimC, CEN-PE, Chromokinesin, KHC, KIF3C, KIFC3, MKLP-1, and MCAK) at 1 μM or 10 μM concentration, showing selectively over kinesin-5. EMD 534085 binds to the allosteric pocket of kinesin-5. EMD534085 induces rapid cell death in HL60 during mitotic arrest. Caspase-8, −9, −3, −7 are activated; Parp1 is cleaved; Mcl1 and XIAP are degraded in EMD534085-treated HL60 cells. EMD534085 treated HL60 cells also shows significantly accumulated phospho-Histone H3 level starting at 6 hrs post thymidine release.