Contents
Gertrude Elion
Helping develop medicines for leukaemia, organ transplantation and viral infections.
Mercaptopurine · Azathioprine
- Born
- 23 January 1918
- Birthplace
- New York City, United States
- Died
- 21 February 1999
More people
Gertrude Elion
Gertrude Elion was an American biochemist whose work with George Hitchings made drug development more closely guided by cell chemistry.
Early life
Motivation
Her grandfather’s death from cancer helped draw her toward medical research.
Education
Graduated from Hunter College in 1937 and earned a master’s at New York University in 1941.
Career
- 1944
Burroughs Wellcome
Joined George Hitchings’s laboratory after teaching and laboratory jobs.
- 1967
Research leadership
Became head of experimental therapy.
- 1983 onward
Retirement and mentoring
Continued advising researchers and working with students after formal retirement.
Contributions
Mercaptopurine
Helped develop a drug used to treat leukaemia.
Azathioprine
Contributed to an immunosuppressant that supported organ transplantation.
Nobel Prize
Shared the medicine prize with Hitchings and James Black.
Beyond the lab
Interests
Enjoyed opera, ballet, photography and travel.
Education path
Built her research career without completing a PhD; later received honorary doctorates.
Sources & photo credit
Life, career and references ↗Institutional biography and research ↗Photo: GlaxoSmithKline plc. CC BY 4.0 · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
