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".

Quotations

1. "I remember my school days as being very challenging and full of good comradery among the students."

2. "Jobs were scarce and the few positions that existed in laboratories were not available to women."

3. "When we began to see the results of our efforts in the form of new drugs which filled real medical needs and benefited patients in very visible ways, our feeling of reward was immeasurable."

4. "Over the years, my work became both my vocation and avocation."