Researchers from Mass General Brigham, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and the Broad Institute identified a new immune evasion mechanism in acute myeloid leukemia involving CD43, described as a novel “don’t eat me” signal. The work, published in Science, links the glycoprotein CD43 to macrophage recognition and persistence of malignant cells. By establishing a mechanism for immune escape, the study points to potential therapeutic strategies that would either block the evasion signal or re-enable phagocytic clearance. In AML, where relapse remains common, targets that alter innate immune recognition are closely watched. The findings add to a growing emphasis on innate immune checkpoints in hematologic malignancies, and could influence biomarker selection for future combination trials.