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Updated: Feb 24, 2026
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Flow Cytometry to Estimate Leukemia Stem Cells in Primary Acute Myeloid Leukemia and in Patient-derived-xenografts, at Diagnosis and Follow Up
Published on: March 26, 2018
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Novel single-cell technologies in acute myeloid leukemia research
Soumyasri Das Gupta1, Zohar Sachs2
1Division of Hematology, Oncology, and Transplantation, Department Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minn.
Summary
Targeting leukemia stem cells (LSCs) is crucial for preventing relapse in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Understanding LSC heterogeneity through single-cell analysis can lead to effective AML therapies.
Area of Science:
- Hematology
- Oncology
- Stem Cell Biology
Background:
- Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a fatal cancer characterized by patient relapse due to treatment-refractory leukemia stem cells (LSCs).
- LSC self-renewal drives disease re-establishment, necessitating LSC-eradicating strategies for long-term AML remission.
- AML and its LSCs exhibit significant phenotypic and genotypic heterogeneity, often masked by bulk tumor analysis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight the importance of targeting leukemia stem cells (LSCs) in acute myeloid leukemia (AML).
- To emphasize the role of LSC heterogeneity in AML pathogenesis and treatment resistance.
- To underscore the potential of single-cell approaches in characterizing LSCs and advancing AML therapy.
Main Methods:
- Review of classical AML studies focusing on bulk tumor populations.
- Discussion of advancements in single-cell measurement systems.
- Exploration of single-cell approaches for understanding AML pathophysiology.
Main Results:
- Classical studies masked the heterogeneity of AML and its LSCs.
- Single-cell approaches offer a novel way to study molecular mechanisms in heterogeneous diseases like AML.
- Recent single-cell advancements have improved the characterization of LSCs and AML pathophysiology.
Conclusions:
- Therapeutic strategies must target leukemia stem cells (LSCs) to prevent relapse in acute myeloid leukemia (AML).
- Understanding LSC heterogeneity is key to developing effective AML treatments.
- Single-cell technologies are revolutionizing AML research and enabling the identification of critical LSC molecular mechanisms for targeted therapies.
