# Modern synthetic pathways towards eribulin and its subunits

**Authors:** Sebastian Dominik Graf

PMC · DOI: 10.3762/bjoc.22.37 · Beilstein Journal of Organic Chemistry · 2026-03-19

## TL;DR

This review discusses recent advances in the synthesis of eribulin, a drug used to treat breast cancer and liposarcoma.

## Contribution

The paper summarizes new and efficient synthetic pathways for eribulin and its subunits developed in the last decade.

## Key findings

- Recent methods focus on assembling the four key fragments of eribulin more efficiently.
- New total synthesis pathways for eribulin have emerged to meet clinical demand.
- The review highlights advancements in scalable techniques for eribulin production.

## Abstract

Eribulin is a synthetic analog of halichondrin B, a natural product derived from marine sponges, and has gained significant importance in oncology (as its commercial mesylate salt, Halaven) due to its unique mechanism of action as a microtubule dynamics inhibitor. It is primarily used in the treatment of metastatic breast cancer and liposarcoma, offering a new therapeutic option for patients with advanced disease. To meet the increasing clinical demand, the research on new synthetic approaches is rigorously ongoing. Recent procedures mainly focus on more efficient and scalable techniques for the assembly of the 4 key fragments of eribulin. But also new pathways for the total synthesis have emerged in the last decade. In this review the latest advancements towards the construction of eribulin are summarized.

## Linked entities

- **Chemicals:** eribulin (PubChem CID 11354606), halichondrin B (PubChem CID 5488895), Halaven (PubChem CID 17755248)
- **Diseases:** liposarcoma (MONDO:0003585)

## Full-text entities

- **Diseases:** breast cancer (MESH:D001943), liposarcoma (MESH:D008080)
- **Chemicals:** Eribulin (MESH:C490954), mesylate (MESH:D008698), halichondrin B (MESH:C070519)
- **Species:** Homo sapiens (human, species) [taxon 9606]

## Full text

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## Figures

38 figures with captions in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC13033900/full.md

## References

110 references — full list in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC13033900/full.md

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Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC13033900