Taxol, a compound derived from the Pacific yew tree, has been called by the National Cancer Institute "the best anti-cancer agent" developed in the last fifteen years. It has shown remarkable activity against resistant cases of advanced ovarian and breast cancer, and has been approved for clinical use.
Taxol is found in the bark of the Pacific yew tree, a slow-growing plant found only in old-growth forests of the Pacific Northwest. To treat one cancer patient requires 60 pounds of Yew tree bark, the equivalent of three, one hundred year old trees! Due to the low yield of Taxol in nature and the environmentally destructive prospect of large-scale harvestation of the yew, the race is on to develop an effective and viable synthesis of taxol....