Single-cell RNA Sequencing Provides Comprehensive Map of Acute Myeloid Leukemia Cell States

Audio Journal of Oncology Podcast

An interview with:

Andy Zeng, MD/PhD candidate, University of Toronto and Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, Canada

With comment from:

Hussein A Abbas MD PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Leukemia, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston TX

CHICAGO—A research study using single-cell RNA sequencing data has created a new gene expression atlas that shows how normal hematopoietic cells differentiate. Findings reported at the 2025 Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) describe how it’s been used to catalog the multiple ways that aberrant differentiation can lead to acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

By using the study to provide a reference for normal hematopoietic cell differentiation the researchers have identified novel acute myeloid leukemia cell states that have potential therapeutic implications. It is hoped to shed light on how AML driver genes affect cell differentiation in different contexts, with the aim of informing new biomarkers and drug targets and helping AML researchers to address new hypotheses.

Lead author, Andy Zeng, who is a candidate for MD and PhD at University of Toronto and Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, Canada, discussed the findings with Audio Journal of Oncology correspondent, Peter Goodwin, who also talked with hematologic malignancy clinician, who was not an author of the study, Hussein A Abbas MD PhD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Leukemia at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas.

SARAH MAXWELL:

There’s new hope for understanding more about the malignant transformation of hematopoietic cells into acute myeloid leukemia. I’m Sarah Maxwell with the Audio Journal of Oncology.

At the 2025 Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research in Chicago, Canadian researchers reported on the use of single cell RNA sequencing to investigate molecular mechanisms leading to cancer, in patients at risk of AML. At the conference, Peter Goodwin got the details from lead author Andy Zeng from the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto:

INTERVIEW: Andy G. X. Zeng

Peter was talking with Andy Zeng from the University of Toronto and Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Canada.

And to get a comment on this, Peter talked with clinical oncologist Hussein Abbas, Assistant Professor in the Department of Leukemia, at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

INTERVIEW: Hussein Abbas

And Peter’s conversation at the AACR Annual Meeting with Hussein Abbas brings this edition of the Audio Journal of Oncology to an end. We’ll be back with more breaking news for cancer professionals very soon. I’m Sarah Maxwell.

AACR ABSTRACT:

“Single-cell transcriptional mapping reveals genetic and non-genetic determinants of aberrant differentiation in AML”