Periodic Reporting for period 2 - Hemstem (Targeting leukaemia by modulating hematopoietic stem cell competitiveness)
Reporting period: 2022-07-01 to 2023-12-31
While the genetic landscape of acute myeloid leukemia cells has been widely studied, the mechanisms driving disease relapse remain ill-defined. Relapse is thought to occur from subpopulations of leukemic cells with stem cell properties. These so-called leukemic stem cells reside in the bone marrow and require close interactions with the microenvironment and other extracellular components for their maintenance and expansion. In this project, we further investigate the of leukemic stem cells with the bone marrow and with healthy hematopoietic cells that naturally locate there. The overall aim of is to identify, based on this knowledge, novel therapeutic strategies that can improve stem cell transplantation therapies and pave the way for their clinical translation to patients.