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The complex molecule maoecrystal V has been synthesized in the laboratory, after six years of intense effort by high-profile chemists. Zhen Yang and his colleagues at Peking University in Beijing created the sought-after compound — which shows potent activity against cancer cells — in a concise 16-step synthesis. It was originally extracted from a Chinese herb (Isodon eriocalyx) that has long been used as a folk medicine to treat flu and inflammation, and has already produced a number of potential anticancer agents. By varying the laboratory synthesis, chemists will be able to make and test closely related structures that may prove better medicines than maoecrystal V itself.
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Organic chemistry: Making maoecrystal V. Nature 468, 871 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/468871f
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/468871f