Elion, Gertrude Belle

Elion, Gertrude Belle
▪ 2000

      American biochemist (b. Jan. 23, 1918, New York, N.Y.—d. Feb. 21, 1999, Chapel Hill, N.C.), undertook, with George H. Hitchings, a new approach to drug development that led to the formulation of medicines for such diseases as leukemia and herpes and earned her a share (with Hitchings and Sir James Black) of the 1988 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine. Elion studied biochemistry at Hunter College, New York City (B.S., 1937), but was unable to find work as a medical researcher owing to her gender. She took a series of jobs, including that of teacher, before earning a master's degree from New York University (1941). Helped by the labour shortages created by World War II, she joined Burroughs Wellcome Laboratories in 1944 and a year later began a collaboration with Hitchings that would span more than 40 years. Rather than employing the trial-and-error approach favoured by most pharmacologists, the two scientists began examining the differences between the biochemistry of normal human cells and that of cancer cells, viruses, and other disease-causing agents. This research eliminated much of the guesswork and wasted effort typical in drug research and allowed them to design target-specific drugs that acted on a particular pathogen without harming the healthy cells of the human host. Among their numerous discoveries were medicines that treated malaria and gout and that prevented the rejection of transplanted organs. Though Elion officially retired in 1983, she continued to conduct research, most notably overseeing the development of AZT, the first drug used against AIDS.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Elion,Gertrude Belle — El·i·on (ĕlʹē ən, ŏn ), Gertrude Belle. 1918 1999. American drug researcher. She shared a 1988 Nobel Prize for developing drugs to treat leukemia and gout. * * * …   Universalium

  • Elion, Gertrude (Belle) — born Jan. 23, 1918, New York, N.Y., U.S. died Feb. 21, 1999, Chapel Hill, N.C. U.S. pharmacologist. She graduated from Hunter College. Unable to find a research position because of her sex, she initially taught high school chemistry. In 1944 she… …   Universalium

  • Elion, Gertrude (Belle) — (23 ene. 1918, Nueva York, N.Y., EE.UU.–21 feb. 1999, Chapel Hill, N.C.). Farmacóloga estadounidense. Se graduó en el Hunter College. Como no encontraba un puesto de investigadora por su condición de mujer, enseñó inicialmente química en la… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Gertrude Belle Elion — (Nueva York, 23 de enero de 1918 – Carolina del Norte, 21 de febrero de 1999) fue una bioquímica y farmacóloga norteamericana, que recibió en 1988 el Premio Nobel de Fisiología y Medicina. Nacida en la ciudad de Nueva …   Wikipedia Español

  • Gertrude Belle Elion — (* 23. Januar 1918 in New York; † 21. Februar 1999 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina) war eine US amerikanische Biochemikerin und Pharmakologin. Gertrud Elion leitete seit 1966 die Abteilung für experimentelle Therapie der Wellcome Laboratorien. Sie …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Gertrude Belle Elion — (Nueva York, 1918 Chapel Hill, 1999). Bioquímica estadounidense. En 1937 se licenció en Bioquímica en el Hunter College y durante los siguientes siete años trabajó en varios laboratorios y enseñó química y física en diversos centros docentes… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Elion, Gertrude B. — ▪ American scientist in full  Gertrude Belle Elion   born Jan. 23, 1918, New York, N.Y., U.S. died Feb. 21, 1999, Chapel Hill, N.C.  American pharmacologist who, along with George H. Hitchings (Hitchings, George Herbert) and Sir James W. Black… …   Universalium

  • Gertrude B. Elion — Gertrude Belle Elion (* 23. Januar 1918 in New York; † 21. Februar 1999 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina) war eine amerikanische Biochemikerin und Pharmakologin. Gertrud Elion leitete seit 1966 die Abteilung für experimentelle Therapie der Wellcome …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Gertrude Elion — Gertrude Belle Elion (* 23. Januar 1918 in New York; † 21. Februar 1999 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina) war eine amerikanische Biochemikerin und Pharmakologin. Gertrud Elion leitete seit 1966 die Abteilung für experimentelle Therapie der Wellcome …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Elion — Gertrude Belle Elion (* 23. Januar 1918 in New York; † 21. Februar 1999 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina) war eine amerikanische Biochemikerin und Pharmakologin. Gertrud Elion leitete seit 1966 die Abteilung für experimentelle Therapie der Wellcome …   Deutsch Wikipedia

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