A series of substituted styryl-acrylonitriles was designed and synthesized. The new compounds, called tyrenes, were tested for the ability to inhibit acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) cancer cell growth, as well as on their toxicity to normal bone marrow (NBM) cells. The results showed that 3, 4-dihydroxystyryl-acrylonitriles, in particular CR-4, revealed great potency as antitumor agents, and also exhibited low toxicity to normal cells. The ...