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Updated: Mar 14, 2026

Modeling Chemotherapy Resistant Leukemia In Vitro
Published on: February 9, 2016
EpCAM Inhibition Sensitizes Chemoresistant Leukemia to Immune Surveillance
Xiaohu Zheng1,2, Xiaolei Fan1,2, Binqing Fu1,2
1Institute of Immunology and the CAS Key Laboratory of Innate Immunity and Chronic Disease, School of Life Sciences and Medical Center, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China.
Abstract:
The lack of effective tumor-associated antigens restricts the development of targeted therapies against myeloid leukemia. In this study, we compared gene expression patterns of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and normal bone marrow samples and found that epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) is frequently overexpressed in patients with AML, with EpCAM+ leukemic cells exhibiting enhanced chemoresistance and oncogenesis. The chemotherapeutic resistance of EpCAM-positive leukemic cells is a consequence of increased WNT5B signaling. Furthermore, we generated EpCAM antibodies that enabled phagocytosis or cytotoxicity of AML cells by macrophage or natural killer cells, respectively. Finally, EpCAM antibody treatment depleted AML in subcutaneous, disseminated, and intramedullary engrafted mice. In summary, EpCAM exhibits promise as a novel target for the treatment of leukemia. Cancer Res; 77(2); 482-93. ©2016 AACR.
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