Targeting acute myeloid leukemia stem cell: current status and clinical application

Abstract

Since the discovery of leukemic stem cells by Dick and Bonnet in 1996, therapeutic targets have been searched to specifically eliminate this population and, thus, avoid recurrent episodes of relapse in these patients. To date, different molecular targets have been identified in the population of leukemic stem cells that can be pharmacologically modulated. The therapeutic targets for which a drug has been developed and the clinical trials in patients with AML are identified and correlated with the published preclinical data. The therapeutic targets and drugs described against leukemic stem cells are searched in journals indexed in MedLine. The preclinical regulatory reports are searched on the website of the FDA (US Food and Drug Administration). To identify the approved clinical trials, the registry www.clinicaltrial.gov is consulted. Therapeutic targets or drugs are grouped according to their mechanism of action and efficacy in clinical trials and a search is made to identify which preclinical data are critical for predicting positive results in patients. The analysis will allow the development of a method to identify the clinical potential of preclinical studies described with drugs against leukemic stem cells.