Single-cell Characterization and Targeting of Leukemia Stem Cells to Prevent Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Relapse

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the leading cause of cancer deaths in children, and fewer than 10% of adults with relapsed disease will survive for more than five years. Strong evidence suggests that ALL contains a specialized, rare cell type known as a leukemia stem cell, which have the unique ability to self-renew and propagate tumor growth. If these cells are the driving force behind relapse formation, they represent an ideal drug target. However, despite their importance in cancer progression and relapse, leukemia stem cells are not well characterized, and efforts to study these cells are hindered by their rarity: leukemia stem cells comprise