Single Cell Transcriptomics Could Help Eradicate Leukemia More Effectively March 1, 2021 Immature blood cells in leukemia [Source: toeytoey2530/Getty Images] Research from an international collaboration shows that a single-cell omics approach can identify mutational status and characterize gene expression in hematopoietic stem cells from acute myeloid leukemia patients and successfully identify disease causing cells. Treatments exist for acute myeloid leukemia (AML), but while these often succeed initially, patients often relapse. Indeed, less than 15% of patients over the age of 60 survive for 5 years after treatment for this reason. “Only cancer stem cells, residing at the top of the hierarchy, are able to fuel long-term cancer growth and drive relapse, whereas the bulk of the cancer consists of rapidly dividing cells with limited capacity for self-renewal,” write the researchers in the journal article describing the study in