WEE1 and cancer: 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).