Harvard chemists' breakthrough in synthesis advances a potent anti-cancer agent

(Harvard University) Chemists at Harvard University and Eisai have achieved what a new paper calls a 'landmark in drug discovery' with the total synthesis of 11.5g of halichondrin. Known to be a potent anti-cancer agent in mouse studies, and found naturally in sea sponges -- though only ever in minuscule quantities -- the halichondrin class of molecule is so fiendishly complex that it had never been synthesized on a meaningful scale in the lab.

Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - June 17, 2019 Category: Biology Source Type: news