A novel extracellular matrix-based leukemia model supports leukemia cells with stem cell-like characteristics

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a heterogeneous hematopoietic malignancy characterized by an aberrant clonal expansion of undifferentiated myeloid blasts. Studies have shown that leukemia stem cells (LSCs) contribute to relapse after chemotherapeutic treatment. [1] Like normal hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), LSCs maintain their self-renewal ability while generating clonogenic leukemic progenitors capable of producing leukemic cells [2]. Anti-proliferative chemotherapeutic agents commonly target the rapidly cycling leukemic cells, but they generally are ineffective against the quiescent LSCs, partly because of enhanced drug efflux in LSCs [3].
Source: Leukemia Research - Category: Hematology Authors: Tags: Research paper Source Type: research