Effects of the protein tyrosine kinase inhibitor, SU5614, on leukemic and normal stem cells.

FLT3 activating mutations are the most frequent single genetic abnormality in patients with acute myeloid leukemia. Thus targeting the FLT3 activated kinase is a promising treatment approach. We wanted to test whether the protein tyrosine kinase inhibitor SU5614 selectively eliminates leukemic stem cells while sparing their normal counterparts.