Gertrude B. Elion was an American Nobel Laureate, biochemist, and pharmacologist who co-developed groundbreaking drugs for leukemia, herpes, and organ transplant rejection. Explore the legacy of a historic chemist and test your knowledge of their discoveries and impact on chemistry with this quiz.
In which field did Gertrude Elion receive the Nobel Prize?
- Chemistry
- Physiology or Medicine
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Answer 2) Physiology or Medicine
What influenced Gertrude Elion to choose chemistry as her major in college?
- Her childhood dream of becoming an astronaut
- Her interest in photography
- The death of her grandfather from cancer
- Her fascination with computer science
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Answer 3
Elion and her team developed the first selective antiviral medication, known as:
- AZT
- Acyclovir
- Pyrimethamine
- Trimethoprim
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Answer: 2) Acyclovir
Which of the following drugs was NOT co-developed by Gertrude B. Elion?
- Acyclovir
- Pyrimethamine
- Aspirin
- Azathioprine
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Answer: 3) Aspirin
Many of the drugs Elion and her team developed were based on …
- peptides
- β-lactams
- nucleosides
- steroids
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Answer: 3) nucleosides
What type of bacteria was used to evaluate the effects of compounds on microbial growth in Gertrude Elion’s research?
- Escherichia coli
- Lactobacillus casei
- Staphylococcus aureus
- Streptococcus pneumoniae
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Answer 2
Reference
- Catharina Goedecke, Gertrude B. Elion and the “Antiviral Odyssey”, ChemistryViews 2024. https://doi.org/10.1002/chemv.202400012
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