Colony forming unit (CFU) assays showed that knockout of IGFBP2 led to a 20% decrease in CFUs in the primary plating, and more than 30% of decrease in CFUs in the secondary plating (Figure 3H), indicating that IGFBP2 enhances self-renewal of AML cells in vitro. This evidence concerns the gene IGFBP2 and acute myeloid leukemia.