Advances in Human Embryonic Stem Cells-Based Therapy for Leukemia

Leukemia refers to a malignant clonal disease triggered by hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). The leukemia cells are at a standstill at different phases of cell development because of the self-renewal enhancement and differentiation disorder. In the bone marrow and other hematopoietic tissues, leukemia cells proliferate and accumulate rapidly, inhibiting normal hematopoiesis and infiltrating other organs and tissues. Among current clinical treatments, though hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) serves as the optimal therapeutic choice for leukemia currently, it faces challenges such as difficulties in donor matching and high risks of complications. Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs), derived from the inner cell mass of embryos, have unlimited self-renewal and multi-directional differentiation potential. These cells exhibit notable value in basic research and disease modeling. hESC-derived HSCs can proliferate at a rapid rate and exhibit strong self-renewal ability. These unique biological traits offer a promising approach for leukemia therapy. However, clinical translation of hESCs still faces severe challenges such as tumorigenicity and low differentiation efficiency. This review summarizes the research progress of hESCs in leukemia treatment, providing a reference for future studies.