Gertrude Elion Trivia Questions

She shared the 1988 Nobel Prize with James Black and George Hitchings for their drug discovery principles.

Acyclovir treats herpes but does not cure it; it suppresses outbreaks and reduces transmission.

She earned a master's degree but was denied a PhD due to financial constraints; she later received honorary doctorates.

Elion and George Hitchings developed 6-mercaptopurine in 1951. It became an effective treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia in children, saving many lives.

She shared the 1988 Nobel Prize with Sir James Black and George H. Hitchings for their discoveries of important principles for drug treatment.

Along with George Hitchings, Elion synthesized azathioprine in 1957. It became a key immunosuppressant, enabling successful organ transplants.

Gertrude Elion's first job after college was a brief stint as a laboratory assistant. She then worked as a high school chemistry and physics teacher for a year before later becoming a food chemist.

Elion's pioneering work on nucleoside analogs paved the way for screening AZT against HIV. The drug was approved in 1987 after clinical trials showed it slowed the disease.