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Gertrude Elion
Pharmacology · Drug Design
Research Triangle Park, United States
70 H-Index
760 Total Impact
GLNobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (1988)0
NHNational Medal of Science0
Overview
Gertrude Elion was a pharmacology specialist who developed groundbreaking drugs for leukemia, organ transplant rejection, and herpes. Nobel Prize 1988 for rational drug design principles. Based in United States.
For Patients
- Pioneered the Rational drug design using differences in nucleotide metabolism, a technique still used by doctors worldwide
- Based at Burroughs Wellcome (now GlaxoSmithKline) in Research Triangle Park, United States
Biography
Gertrude Elion was an American pharmacologist who shared the Nobel Prize in 1988 for discoveries of important principles for drug treatment. She developed drugs for leukemia (6-mercaptopurine), malaria, gout, organ transplant rejection (azathioprine), and herpes (acyclovir), revolutionizing rational drug design.
Affiliations & Institutions
Research Impact
1 Publications
0 Total Citations
Published In
Science
Key Publications
The purine path to chemotherapy (Nobel Lecture)
Areas of Expertise
Pioneering Techniques
Medical Specialties
Clinical Knowledge & Procedures
Legacy Timeline
The life and contributions of Gertrude Elion
1951
Developed 6-mercaptopurine
Created the first effective treatment for childhood leukemia
1962
Developed azathioprine (Imuran)
Created the immunosuppressant that made organ transplantation feasible
1977
Developed acyclovir
Created the first effective antiviral drug for herpes simplex and varicella-zoster viruses
1988
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
Shared with George Hitchings and James Black for rational drug design principles