Studies towards the total synthesis of eleutherobin and biologically active carbasugars

Efforts have been directed towards the total synthesis of eleutherobin, a natural product with promising anticancerous properties. Indeed, Taxol-like activity of eleutherobin could provide an interesting alternative to Taxol-resistant cancers. The generation of the 10-membered ring has been performed via an exotic Knoevenagel condensation and paves the path for a concise, robust and efficient synthesis of the marine natural product. An additional study describes the synthesis of several inhibitors for the production of afucosylated antibodies that will ultimately provide a considerable enhancement of their antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity. Alone or combined with toxic payloads (i.e., ADC), these antibodies will contribute to better and cheaper immunotherapies for cancer.