Gertrude B. Elion M.S.[Chemistry]

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1988
Co-Nobelists: Sir James W. Black, George H. Hitchings
National Medal of Science - Chemistry 1991

Chemist, Pharmacologist. Discovered principles for drug treatment; developed drugs - anticancer, immunosuppressive, antiviral, antibacterial, anti-gout, anti-malarial. Purines.

"I was a child with an insatiable thirst for knowledge. My beloved grandfather died of cancer when I was 15. I was highly motivated to discover a cure for this terrible disease".

Hobbies, Interests

Gertrude Elion's hobbies were photography, travelling, music, ballet and theater.

When Gertrude was a child, her family did not take much vacations. It is only later when she travelled fairly widely in the world, that her curiosity regarding the rest of the world was satisfied. Elion was not musically talented but she loved to listen to music. She loved opera and subscribed to the Metropolitan Opera for over 40 years. She also loved ballet and theater. Upon 'officially retiring', in addition to other work, Elion loved to teach. As Research Professor of Medicine and Pharmacology at Duke University, she mentored third-year medical students in tumor biochemistry and pharmacology