Myeloid leukemias, acute (AML) and chronic (CML), remain diseases with many challenges for improved treatment. While AML still has dismal prognosis and the main emphasis is on the administration of cytotoxic drugs, the use of kinase inhibitors such as Imatinib has made the therapy of CML quite successful in many cases, though development of resistance to Imanitib can be a problem. Further, the success of All-Trans Retinoic Acid (ATRA) in Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia (APL), a subset of AML, offers hope as a paradigm for the successful use of differentiation-inducing agents in a wider spectrum of AMLs. These therapeutic approaches need to be extensively explored in basic studies of the altered molecular mechanisms that result from known, and from yet to be described, molecular lesions in leukemia- initiating cells (LICs). Further, the insights obtained in such studies must be validated for clinical utility using translational approaches. The main focus of this special issue will be on the new, and existing, information on the promising agents that induce differentiation of LIC, alone or in combination with co-inducers of differentiation. The Special Issue will also explore the interface between the cellular mechanisms for differentiation and cell survival mechanisms. Thus, studies, or descriptions of accumulated knowledge of the advances in the understanding of the action of cytotoxic agents, are also welcome. The Special Issue is likely to become an international forum for researchers to summarize the most recent developments and ideas in the field, with a special emphasis on experimental and clinical results obtained within the last five years. Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

• Intracellular signaling pathways that transmit signals from currently known agents which induce differentiation and alter survival of myeloid leukemia cells, for example, retinoids, arsenic trioxide, and derivatives of vitamin D
• microRNAs in myeloid leukemia genesis, diagnosis, and treatment
• Role of growth factor receptors in survival of myeloid leukemia cells
• Use of small molecule inhibitors of kinases, of DNA/histone methyltransferases and of histone deacetylases in myeloid leukemias
• Information on the nature of LICs:— their relationship to normal hematopoietic cells, responsiveness to differentiation therapies, and development of platforms to monitor LICs
• Clinical studies on myeloid leukemias

Articles published in this special issue will not be subject to the journal's Article Processing Charges.

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