The Life of Gertrude B. Elion by Isabella Barroso

isabellabarroso001 — 2024-03-11 12:06:47 UTC

Gertrude B. Elion was born on January 23, 1918, in New York. She grew up with her parents and brother, who were Eastern European Jewish immigrants. When Gertrude was three years old, her grandfather came from Russia to live with the family, and they became very close. Unfortunately, when Gertrude was 15, her grandfather passed away from stomach cancer. This experience, along with her mother's encouragement to pursue higher education, helped shape Gertrude's future career path.

isabellabarroso001 — 2024-03-11 12:53:34 UTC

In 1929, Gertrude B. Elion's family went bankrupt due to the Great Depression. Fortunately, her high grades helped her secure admission to Hunter College in New York, which was free. After completing her studies, she faced financial difficulties and struggled to secure a fellowship because she was a woman. Nevertheless, she persisted in pursuing her passion for chemistry and refused to let gender bias hold her back. Despite working various jobs including as a secretary, teacher, and unpaid lab worker, she continued to attend classes at NYU to expand her knowledge. Unfortunately, she was unable to commit to full-time studies and therefore never obtained a Ph.D. However, her career path changed during World War II when a shortage of male chemists allowed Gertrude to prove herself and excel in her field.

isabellabarroso001 — 2024-03-11 13:59:08 UTC

isabellabarroso001 — 2024-03-11 14:00:14 UTC

isabellabarroso001 — 2024-03-11 14:28:22 UTC

Three year old Gertrude along side her mother.

isabellabarroso001 — 2024-03-11 14:29:36 UTC

Gertrude adored grandfather with his daughters.

Ana Sanchez - MDC Padron Campus

isabellabarroso001 — 2024-03-11 17:47:48 UTC

My name is Ana, I'm a philosophy major. The most interesting thing I learned recently is that David Fincher sent a copy of the final script of the Zodiac movie to the person the main character is based on, and after reading it he told David "So that's why my wife left me." An average day for me looks like working in the mornings and going to class in the afternoon, or the inverse depending on my class schedule. Something relatively interesting about me is that when I was around 8, I fully walked through a sliding glass door at my aunt's house. My favorite thing to do on a day off is play guitar or walk around with my dog.

alynarodriguez243 — 2024-03-11 17:53:00 UTC

Though her individual discoveries were significant, when Elion received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1988 (with Hitchings and another drug researcher, James Black), it wasn’t for one particular drug, it was for a new, more rational approach to drug development. Simply put, Elion changed the way researchers develop drugs. As a result, although she died in 1999 at the age of 81, Gertrude Elion is still saving lives. Gertrude developed a systematic method for producing drugs based on knowledge of biochemistry and diseases. One of the first drugs produced by the pair was for leukemia and helped many children with the disease to survive.

alynarodriguez243 — 2024-03-11 17:53:36 UTC

Lianet Alfonso - Coral Gables Highschool

2024-03-13 03:14:59 UTC

Hello my name is Lianet Alfonso, I’m a sophomore in coral gables high school and one of my favorite things to do on a day off is to enjoy the weekend by going out somewhere and not staying inside. By doing this it gives me a sense of relief to just walk and breathe in the natural air outside. Something interesting I learned recently is that mantis shrimp see way more colors than we do. Another thing that interests me is video gaming and I love to play rainbow six siege. Other than that I also love to paint. I’ve loved painting ever since I was a little kid. This is a picture of me with my bestie.

2024-03-13 03:25:24 UTC

Gertrude B. Eliot accomplished many achievements during her life time. Elton worked hard to create drugs to combat leukemia, gout, malaria, herpes and autoimmune disorders. She devised a system to create drugs, leading into the creation of drug AZT and AIDS.

2024-03-13 03:26:34 UTC

isabellabarroso001 — 2024-03-13 12:16:52 UTC

isabellabarroso001 — 2024-03-13 12:17:16 UTC

isabellabarroso001 — 2024-03-13 12:25:37 UTC

Gertrude working as an unpaid lab worker.

isabellabarroso001 — 2024-03-13 12:27:49 UTC

Gertrude working with two of her colleagues.