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Interfering with leukemic stem cells

Nature Medicine volume 14, pages 494–495 (2008)Cite this article

Kinase inhibitors such as imatinib (Gleevec) have improved the outlook for many people with chronic myeloid leukemia and related blood disorders. But such drugs do not target the leukemia stem cell population and may not be curative. Krause and Van Etten discuss several clinical studies that suggest that interferon-α may provide a solution by selectively eliminating leukemic stem cells—although only more basic research will tell us whether this is true and how it may happen.

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Author notes

  1. Richard A. Van Etten is at the Molecular Oncology Research Institute and Division of Hematology/Oncology, Tufts Medical Center, 800 Washington Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02111, USA. rvanetten@tuftsmedicalcenter.org

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pathology, Daniela S. Krause is at the Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA.,

    Daniela S Krause & Richard A Van Etten

Authors
  1. Daniela S Krause
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  2. Richard A Van Etten
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Krause, D., Van Etten, R. Interfering with leukemic stem cells. Nat Med 14, 494–495 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/nm0508-494

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