Encouragingly, our results indicate that SPNS3 expression is positively correlated with the resistance of AML cells to apoptosis and that SPNS3 knockdown enables a significant induction of apoptosis in the FLT3-ITD+ cell line MOLM-13 by inhibiting the expression of anti-apoptotic genes, namely BCL-2 and MCL-1. The gene discussed is SPNS3; the disease is acute myeloid leukemia.