Opposing Roles of LAMA4 in the Bone Marrow Niche During CML

Alma Månsson, PhD candidate at Karolinska Institute, presents her study on LAMA4 in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). The study shows that a LAMA4-deficient bone marrow niche inhibits CML initiation by promoting stem cell quiescence but accelerates progression once CML is established. In vitro, LAMA4 peptides reduce human CML stem cell survival, especially with imatinib, highlighting a stage-dependent, opposing role of LAMA4 in CML.