Odoamide is a novelcyclic depsipeptide with highly potent cytotoxic activity isolated from the Okinawan marine cyanobacterium Okeania sp. It contains a 26-membered macrocycle composed of a fatty acid moiety, a peptide segment and isoleucic acid. Four possible stereoisomers of the odoamide polyketide substructure were synthesised using a chiral pool approach. The first total synthesis of odoamide was