In order to better treat patients diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, the pathological processes and existing subtypes of the disease must be better understood. With the help of proteome and genome analysis, researchers at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, together with cooperation partners from the University Hospital in Frankfurt am Main, have discovered a new subtype. This subgroup contains elevated levels of mitochondrial proteins and thus has altered mitochondrial metabolism. These so-called mito-AML cells can be combated more effectively in laboratory experiments with the help of inhibitors against mitochondrial respiration than with conventional chemotherapeutic agents.