Gertrude B. Elion

Awarded the 1988 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine alongside George H. Hitchings and Sir James Black, Elion was an American biochemist and pharmacologist recognized for pioneering rational drug design. Rather than relying on trial-and-error, this innovative method focused on understanding the target of a drug before developing it.

Her research produced several landmark treatments. She contributed to the creation of AZT, the first drug widely used against AIDS. She also developed azathioprine, the first immunosuppressive drug used to fight rejection in organ transplants, and acyclovir, the first successful antiviral drug, used in the treatment of herpes infection.