Photo Credit: Nemes Laszlo

The following is a summary of “Proteogenomic characterization of highly enriched viable leukemic blasts in acute myeloid leukemia: A SWOG report,” published in the October 2024 issue of Hematology by Naru et al.      

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a deadly hematologic malignancy that requires an improved understanding of its molecular biology for better risk assessment and the development of novel therapeutic strategies.  

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to identify novel protein biomarkers in AML.  

They utilized a proteogenomic approach, combining next-generation sequencing (NGS) and mass spectrometry-based proteomics, to compare unsorted mononuclear cells (MNCs) and viable leukemic blasts (VLBs) isolated from blood and bone marrow specimens received at the time of AML diagnosis (N = 27).  

The results showed significant differences in protein expression between viable leukemic blasts and MNCs, leading to the identification of novel candidate biomarkers associated with mutational genotypes and clinical outcomes. Some of these biomarkers were recapitulated in an independent patient cohort. The study also detected mutated protein products through mass spectrometry, some of which were predicted via in silico analyses as potential neoantigens. The neoantigens show promise for adoptive immunotherapy, presenting a potential breakthrough in AML treatment.  

They concluded that examining the proteome alongside genomic and transcriptomic data delivers valuable insights into the biology of viable leukemic blasts.  

Source: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/jha2.1041