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Updated: Feb 11, 2026

Ex vivo Mimicry of Normal and Abnormal Human Hematopoiesis
Published on: April 10, 2012
Autophagy as a pharmacological target in hematopoiesis and hematological disorders
Marion Orsini1, Franck Morceau1, Mario Dicato1
1Laboratoire de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire du Cancer, Hôpital Kirchberg, 9, rue Edward Steichen, L-2540 Luxembourg, Luxembourg.
Autophagy is involved in many cellular processes, including cell homeostasis, cell death/survival balance and differentiation. Autophagy is essential for hematopoietic stem cell survival, quiescence, activation and differentiation. The deregulation of this process is associated with numerous hematological disorders and pathologies, including cancers. Thus, the use of autophagy modulators to induce or inhibit autophagy emerges as a potential therapeutic approach for treating these diseases and could be particularly interesting for differentiation therapy of leukemia cells. This review presents therapeutic strategies and pharmacological agents in the context of hematological disorders. The pros and cons of autophagy modulators in therapy will also be discussed.
Autophagy is involved in many cellular processes, including cell homeostasis, cell death/survival balance and differentiation. Autophagy is essential for hematopoietic stem cell survival, quiescence, activation and differentiation. The deregulation of this process is associated with numerous hematological disorders and pathologies, including cancers. Thus, the use of autophagy modulators to induce or inhibit autophagy emerges as a potential therapeutic approach for treating these diseases and could be particularly interesting for differentiation therapy of leukemia cells. This review presents therapeutic strategies and pharmacological agents in the context of hematological disorders. The pros and cons of autophagy modulators in therapy will also be discussed.
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