Gertrude B. Elion

Gertrude B. Elion co-developed several major medications, most notably 6-mercaptopurine for leukemia and azathioprine for autoimmune diseases. Her targeted drug development approach changed how pharmaceuticals were designed and tested.

She shared the 1988 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for her discoveries in drug treatment principles. The award recognized her work developing drugs that specifically targeted pathogens and cancer cells without harming healthy cells.

Despite being unable to secure a graduate fellowship due to gender discrimination in the 1930s, she never formally completed a PhD. However, she later received numerous honorary doctorate degrees for her monumental pharmacological work.

She spent the majority of her career at Burroughs Wellcome (now GlaxoSmithKline). It was here that she developed the drugs that would eventually earn her the Nobel Prize.