The complex organic compound halichondrin B was discovered in 1986.

It turned out to be an effective antitumor drug. In 1992, it was possible to obtain a synthetic analogue of this compound; however, it was very simplified as compared to the original, therefore, it did not have all its properties.

This year the research team, which created a simplified analogue of halichondrin B, was able to reproduce fully the natural antitumor compound in the laboratory.

A team of scientists has shown that halichondrin B can reduce the number of cancer-related fibroblasts - components of the tumor microenvironment that may be involved into its malignant transformation.