In the last 5 years, there has been an increase in our understanding of the molecular basis of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and in particular, meticulous stratification of the mutational landscape at diagnosis. Charles Craddock, CBE, FRCP, FRCPath, DPhil, from the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, UK takes us through some of these advances, including improved mutational analysis, characterization of the clonal structure of residual disease and identification of novel targets (as for example the RATIFY trial that lead to the approval of midostaurin), and improving patient outcome after allogeneic stem cell transplant. Recorded at the European Hematology Association (EHA) 2017 Annual Congress in Madrid, Spain.