Work

Mapping and targeting of the leukemic microenvironment

Year: 2019

Type: review

Abstract: Numerous studies support a role of the microenvironment in maintenance of the leukemic clone, as well as in treatment resistance. It is clear that disruption of the normal bone marrow microenvironment is sufficient to promote leukemic transformation and survival in both a cell autonomous and non-cell autonomous manner. In this review, we provide a snapshot of the various cell types shown to contribute to the leukemic microenvironment as well as treatment resistance. Several of these studies suggest that leukemic blasts occupy specific cellular and biochemical "niches." Effective dissection of critical leukemic niche components using single-cell approaches has allowed a more precise and extensive characterization of complexity that underpins both the healthy and malignant bone marrow microenvironment. Knowledge gained from these observations can have an important impact in the development of microenvironment-directed targeted approaches aimed at mitigating disease relapse.

Source: The Journal of Experimental Medicine

DOI: 10.1084/jem.20190589

Authors: Matthew T. Witkowski, Stavroula Kousteni, Iannis Aifantis

Institutions: NYU Langone’s Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center, New York University, Columbia University Irving Medical Center

Language: English

Topic: Acute Myeloid Leukemia Research

Subfield: Hematology

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: hybrid

Funders: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Cancer Institute, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases