Drug resistance is a growing problem in the fights against cancer, malaria, and various bacterial and viral pathogens. Recently, strands of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in India, Iran, and Italy have been found to be resistant to nearly all effective drugs, highlighting the need for drug resistance research. The anti-malarial drug artemisinin and its derivatives have been shown to exhibit cytotoxicity and high selectivity in targeting various types of cancer. We selected a strain of MOLT-4 leukemia cells for resistance to the artemisinin derivative dihydroartemisinin (DHA). The project goals were to characterize these cells by analyzing specifics such as growth rate, genetic expression, DNA repair ability, and cell viability across various conditions. Cancer stem cells are known to be involved in drug resistance, thus we hypothesized that the resistant population would contain a higher percentage of stem cells. Techniques employed include the single cell gel electrophoresis assay (Comet Assay), suspension cell culture, and immunoglobulin assays. When applicable, cell samples were counted using a hemocytometer, and statistical tests were conducted using GraphPad Prizm software. We have currently found the resistant cells to exhibit a five times greater LD50 to DHA than the control MOLT-4 cells, a slower growth rate, and the ability to grow in media containing 12.4 μM DHA – an otherwise cytotoxic concentration. Results suggest the mechanisms of resistance include a thicker cellular membrane and improved DNA repair ability, but we have yet to determine whether cytoplasmic iron requital and DHA effusion play a part as well. We expect to find elevated levels of aldehyde dehydrogenase in resistant cells, strongly indicating the presence of stem cells. The information found will be useful for cancer and malaria drug therapy design, and will further the connection between cancer stem cells and drug resistance.