Measurable residual disease (MRD) is arguably the most useful single prognostic tool we have within the field of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), discusses Anthony Moorman, PhD, of Newcastle University, Newcastle, UK. Prof. Moorman suggests that an essential component of using MRD effectively to treat patients is assessing it at specific timepoints which varies depending on treatment protocol. Importantly, we can vastly enhance the prognostic ability of MRD in predicting relapse by combining our knowledge with genetics, in order to define genetic threshold adjustments. This interview took place at the 23rd congress of European Hematology Association (EHA) 2018, held in Stockholm, Sweden.