Unlike normal differentiated cells, which rely on mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, most cancer cells depend on aerobic glycolysis to provide the metabolic substances to meet their proliferative requirements; this is termed 'the Warburg effect'.35, 36 Saito et al.37 found adenosine 5'-monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase signaling protects leukemia-initiating cells by increasing glucose uptake, shifting the metabolism toward glycolysis and reducing intracellular ROS levels in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). This evidence concerns the gene WEE1 and acute myeloid leukemia.