Patent ID: 7125659

Claim:
A method for screening a candidate compound for a drug for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia or myelodysplasia syndrome whose cells express FLT3/ITD, said method comprising the steps of: (a) introducing the FLT3/ITD gene into blood cells or hematopoietic stem cells, wherein whereupon said cells express FLT3/ITD and proliferate IL-3 independently; (b) contacting said cells with said candidate compound and culturing said cells in the absence of IL-3; (c) detecting the proliferation of said cells; (d) determining if the candidate compound inhibits the proliferation of said cells by inhibiting FT3/ITD function; and (e) selecting the candidate compound that inhibits the proliferation of said cells by inhibiting FLT3/ITD function as a candidate compound for a drug to treat acute myeloid leukemia or myelodysplasia syndrome.