Elion, Gertrude Belle (1918-1999) was an American biochemist. She helped create important drugs used to treat cancer, malaria, and other deadly diseases. Elion worked with the American biochemist George H. Hitchings. They worked at a research division of the Burroughs Wellcome Company. Elion and Hitchings studied how growth and reproduction in diseased cells and in viruses differ from these processes in normal cells. They reasoned that identifying such differences would reveal ways to destroy unwanted cells without harming normal ones. In 1988, Elion and Hitchings shared the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine with the British scientist James W. Black. They won for developing logical new approaches to drug design.
In the 1950’s, Elion and Hitchings designed a drug called mercaptopurine << mur `kap` toh PYUR een >>. Mercaptopurine was the first drug effective in treating leukemia, a cancer in which white blood cells multiply wildly. The pair then created a related drug that helps prevent rejection of transplanted organs. In the 1960’s, Elion’s team developed the drug acyclovir << ay SY kloh vihr >>. Acyclovir was the first antiviral drug used to treat genital herpes.
Elion was born and raised in New York City. She earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in chemistry at New York City colleges. When she looked for work, many prospective employers refused to employ a woman chemist. After World War II pulled men away from their jobs and into combat, she was hired at Burroughs Wellcome in 1944. After her retirement, Elion served in prominent scientific advisory positions. She became a member of the National Academy of Sciences in 1990. She received the National Medal of Science in 1991.
