In this month's Highlight article, Robert Linhardt and colleagues (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, US) review the recent heparin contamination crisis, how it was resolved and the lessons learned. 

Also in the issue: 

Carmen Cuevas and Andrés Francesch (PharmaMar, Spain) chart the development of Yondelis® (trabectedin, ET-743) - the first marine anticancer agent approved in the European Union for patients with soft tissue sarcoma. In particular they review the synthetic strategies involved.

  

Joern Piel (University of Bonn, Germany) describes secondary metabolites reported between 2004 and 2007 that have been shown to be synthesized by symbiotic bacteria, or for which that possibility has been discussed. 

Zhong Jin (Nankai University, China) presents his two biennial reviews of muscarine, imidazole, oxazole and thiazole alkaloids, and amaryllidaceae and Sceletium alkaloids.