Epothilones were first isolated from Sorangium cellulosum by HÌÄåÄÌâå¦fle and co-workers in 1993. As "taxol-like" and microtubule stabilizing natural products, the epothilones represent a rare case of complex biologically active natural products which have been systematically and exhaustively explored through structure-activity relationships. Our group has contributed to these studies by focusing on the conformational constraints of the molecule, and has probed the bound conformation through analogue design. Several proposed pharmacophore models have suggested that the C7-hydroxyl group represents an important point of contact with the protein receptor through hydrogen bonding. Moreover, we have previously presented evidence for the role of the C7-hydroxyl in affecting the conformational preferences of the C5-C8 region. In order to gain insight into the exact role of C7-hydroxyl group, 7-desoxy epothilone D has been designed and synthesized.