In 1976, Albert Einstein Cancer Center researchers identified the mechanism of action of Taxol, one of the most significant cancer treatment drugs ever developed. Derived from the Pacific yew tree, the drug showed the potential to treat cancer and the Center developed the lifesaving compound paclitaxel (Taxol).

In 1992, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Bristol-Myers Squibb Company’s Taxol for the treatment of advanced carcinoma of the ovary and as adjuvant treatment of node-positive breast cancer.