We have recently uncovered an abnormal increase in mitochondrial oxidative metabolism in therapy-resistant chronic myeloid leukaemia stem cells (LSCs). By simultaneously disrupting mitochondrial respiration and inhibiting BCR-ABL kinase activity using the antibiotic tigecycline and imatinib respectively, we effectively eradicated LSCs and prevented disease relapse in pre-clinical animal models.
Keywords: CML; Cancer stem cells; Imatinib; Leukaemia; Metabolism; OXPHOS; TCA cycle; Tigecycline; Tyrosine kinase inhibitor.