Single cell RNA sequencing improves the next generation of approaches to AML treatment: challenges and perspectives

Abstract

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is caused by altered maturation and differentiation of myeloid blasts, as well as transcriptional/epigenetic alterations, all leading to excessive proliferation of malignant blood cells in the bone marrow. Tumor heterogeneity due to the acquisition of new somatic alterations leads to a high rate of resistance to current therapies or reduces the efficacy of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), thus increasing the risk of relapse and mortality. Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) will enable the classification of AML and guide treatment approaches by profiling patients with different facets of the same disease, stratifying risk, and identifying new potential therapeutic targets at the time of diagnosis or after treatment. ScRNA-seq allows the identification of quiescent stem-like cells, and leukemia stem cells responsible for resistance to therapeutic approaches and relapse after treatment. This method also introduces the factors and mechanisms that enhance the efficacy of the HSCT process. Generated data of the transcriptional profile of the AML could even allow the development of cancer vaccines and CAR T-cell therapies while saving valuable time and alleviating dangerous side effects of chemotherapy and HSCT in vivo. However, scRNA-seq applications face various challenges such as a large amount of data for high-dimensional analysis, technical noise, batch effects, and finding small biological patterns, which could be improved in combination with artificial intelligence models.