In the last decade, cordycepin has been studied as a therapeutic agent for
a variety of cancers, especially leukemia (ClinicalTrials.gov, Verified
by OncoVista, Inc., 2009), trypanosomiasis and restenosis.
The designs of derivatives were also studied to protect against rapid
in vivo oxidation. These studies imply the need for the largescale
production of cordycepin.