Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cells have unusually low levels of asparagine and ALL is treated with asparaginase (ASNase).37 ASNase also has an antiproliferative effect in acute myeloid leukaemia (AML).38,39 We found that treatment of THP-1 leukemia cells with ASNase, HCHO, or the ADH5 inhibitor N6022 inhibited cell growth, consistent with links between aldehydes and asparagine and disease. The gene discussed is ADH5; the disease is acute myeloid leukemia.