The invention provides low molecular weight compounds, namely tetrahydropyrrolo[3,4-c]pyrazoles, showing a high affinity for the ATP pocket of ABL tyrosine kinase. These compounds are thus ATP-competitive tyrosine kinase inhibitors displaying a significant inhibitory potency also, and in particular, towards BCR-ABL inhibitor-resistant T315I ABL mutants. The compounds of the invention find a useful application in the treatment of BCR-ABL inhibitor-resistant ABL-mediated diseases, such as Imatinib-resistant chronic myelogenous leukemia. Moreover, the invention provides a screening method for the identification of compounds capable of binding the ATP pocket of a kinase protein, in particular of the T315I mutant ABL kinase.