Andrew Lane, MD, PhD

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a fast-growing blood cancer that is hard to cure. Even with today’s treatments, fewer than 1 in 5 people are alive five years after they are diagnosed. Many patients do well at first and are told they are in “complete remission,” which means doctors cannot find cancer with standard tests. But the cancer often comes back.This happens because a small number of leukemia cells survive treatment. These are called minimal, or measurable, residual disease (MRD). MRD cells are hard to find and hard to destroy. They can hide in the body, resist drugs, or change over time. Doctors are getting better at finding MRD, but we still do not fully understand why these cells survive or how they are different from the original cancer.This project aims to learn what makes MRD cells different and how to target them. Our early work shows that MRD is not just a smaller amount of leukemia—these cells act differently and depend on certain survival pathways. We have collected samples from more than 120 AML patients at different stages: diagnosis, remission, and relapse. Using advanced tools, we will study these cells closely to find new treatment targets. Our goal is to develop better treatments that remove MRD, stop the cancer from coming back, and help more patients stay in remission and be cured.