Discodermolide competes with paclitaxel for microtubule binding, but with higher affinity and is also effective in paclitaxel- and in epothilone-resistant cancer cells. Discodermolide also seems to demonstrate a remarkably consistent 3D molecular conformation in the solid-state, in solution and when bound to tubulin; molecules with the conformational flexibility of discodermolide usually present very different conformations in different environments.