An overview of chronic myeloid leukemia and its animal models

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a form of leukemia characterized by the presence of clonal bone marrow stem cells with the proliferation of mature granulocytes (neutrophils, eosinophils, and basophils) and their precursors. CML is a type of myeloproliferative disease associated with a characteristic chromosomal translocation called the Philadelphia (Ph) chromosome or t (9;22) translocation (BCR-ABL). CML is now usually treated with targeted drugs called tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). The mechanism and natural history of CML is still unclear. Here, we summarize the present CML animal disease models and compare them with each other. Meanwhile, we propose that it is a very wise choice to establish zebrafish (Danio rerio) CML model mimics clinical CML. This model could be used to learn more about the mechanism of CML, and to aid in the development of new drugs to treat CML.