Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) is an aggressive blood cancer, and the second most common form of leukaemia in children. Fewer than 30 per cent of AML patients can be cured with current therapies. This project will test a novel combination therapy, the Smac-mimetic drug birinapant plus multidrug resistance inhibitors (MDR1i), for the treatment of AML. This research will determine how this therapy can be effectively used to increase the chances of cure, with reduced side-effects for the patient’s benefit.