Decitabine was first synthesized by Pliml and Sorm in the Institute of Organic Chemistry, Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences in 1964. Later, the drug was approved by FDA for the treatment of myelodysplastic syndromes in patients with cancer. Upon administration the decitabine is metabolized to the active phosphorylated metabolite which is incorporated into DNA and thus inhibits DNA methyltransferase (decitabine deplete DNMT1).