AKT1 and leukemia: Bufalin, an active ingredient of the traditional Chinese medicine Chan Su,11, 12 has been reported to have antitumor effect on various types of cancers, including leukemia,13, 14, 15, 16 breast,17 lung, liver, and pancreatic cancers.18 The previous study conducted by our group demonstrated that bufalin induced cellular apoptosis in MM cells,19 whereas a more recent study indicated that bufalin induced phosphorylation of AKT (p-AKT) in MM cell lines, which may counteract the cytotoxic effect of this compound and cause drug resistance, partially due to hyperphosphorylation of AKT.20