Taxol, a molecule for all seasons

Abstract

The diterpenoid natural product taxol, first discovered in the 1960’s has proved to be the most important new anticancer drug introduced in the last ten years. A brief history of taxol’s development from laboratory curiosity to blockbuster drug is followed by a summary of its chemistry, including an overview of the six completed syntheses of taxol. The review concludes with a discussion of its bioactivity as a promoter of tubulin polymerization and as a drug.