FLT3, a prognostic biomarker for acute myeloid leukemia (AML): Quantitative monitoring with a simple anti-FLT3 interaction and flow cytometric method.

Background: Overexpression of fms-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3) protein in leukemia is highly related to poor prognosis and reduced survival rate in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) patients. Simple but efficient quantification of FLT3 protein levels on the leukemic cell surface using flow cytometry had been developed for rapid determination of FLT3 on intact cell surface.

Methods: Quantitation protocol for FLT3 biomarker in clinical samples was developed and validated.