Epothilone A and B are reported to be highly effective anticancer drugs. Several of their structural derivatives show very promising inhibition against breast cancer with only mild side effect and some of them are now under trials. In 1997, K. C. Nicolaou and coworkers reported the first total synthesis of both Epothilone A and B. Ender's alkylation reaction was utilized at the very beginning of the synthesis to install the stereogenic center at C8. The reaction proceeded with both high yield and high diastereoselectivity.