Marine alkaloids are among the most diverse molecular structures and the range of possible skeletons is matched only by the challenge they represent as synthetic targets. Now, biological inspiration has allowed the US chemists Mohammad Movassaghi, Dustin S. Siegel, and Sunkyu Han to find total synthetic routes to the bioactive agelastatins which originate in the marine sponge Agelas dendromorpha.

All members of the family possess a tetracyclic molecular framework incorporating C4–C8 and C7–N12 bond connectivities and a short and efficient total synthesis had eluded chemists until now.

Further work could lead to novel anticancer drugs.

• Total synthesis of all (–)-agelastatin alkaloids,
  M. Movassaghi, D. S. Siegel, S. Han,
  Chem. Sci. 2010, online.
  DOI: 10.1039/C0SC00351D