George Hitchings
Pharmaceutical Achiever
The lives of George Hitchings Jr. and Gertrude Belle Elion intersected in 1944 when Hitchings, working at Burroughs Wellcome in New York, hired Elion to work with him as an assistant in the biochemistry department of the Wellcome Research Laboratories. For the next 30 years the pair collaborated on drug research that brought them both a Nobel Prize in 1988, for "important principles of drug development."
Hitchings was born on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington state in 1905. As with Elion, the death of a close family member combined with an admiration for science led Hitchings to set his sights on a career in the medical and chemical sciences. "My father died after a prolonged illness when I was twelve years old," Hitchings once wrote. "The deep impression made by this event turned my thoughts toward medicine. This objective shaped my selection of courses in high school and expressed itself when I was salutatorian at my class graduation. I chose the life of [Louis] Pasteur as the subject for my oration. The blending of Pasteur's basic research and practical results remained a goal throughout my career."
 DNA's double-helical structure. |
With nucleic acids not yet established as a critical field of science, Hitchings had difficulty finding a position that would allow him to continue this research. He worked for nine years in temporary positions at Harvard and other universities. Finally, in 1942, he was hired by Burroughs-Wellcome—a pharmaceutical company—and he resumed his work on nucleic acids. He hired Elion as an assistant in 1944.
 purine
|
 pyrimidine
|
Together, the pair pioneered what is now called “rational” drug design. This scientific process for the creation of new drugs involves deliberately designing new molecules with specific molecular structures, rather than discovering new drugs by trial and error. In the case of Hitchings and Elion, rational drug design meant synthesizing compounds similar to naturally occurring nucleic acids, in this case the purines and pyrimidines. These synthetic compounds interfered with the body's DNA production and so interrupted the cell division of cancer cells.
Hitchings accumulated 85 patents in his 30-year career. In the 1970s, he made a significant transition in his career. He left his job as a scientific director of the Burroughs Wellcome Company where he had spent most of his long career. He stayed with his company as a research scientist, leaving him more time for his own investigations. He also became one of the leaders of the Burroughs Wellcome Fund, a charitable philanthropy funded by the company that shares its name. Through his work with this philanthropy, Hitchings helped to support the medical research of other scientists. Hitchings received the Nobel Prize with Elion in 1988. He died in 1998.
Reflecting on his career after winning the Nobel Prize, Hitchings wrote: “My greatest satisfaction has come from knowing that our efforts helped to save lives and relieve suffering. When I was baptized, my father held me up and dedicated my life to the service of mankind. I am very proud that, in some measure, I have been able to fulfill his hopes.”
Bonus Page
For an in-depth look at the life of George Hitchings, read the biographical sketch of Hitchings and Gertrude Elion, reproduced from the book Pharmaceutical Achievers by Mary Ellen Bowden. Click here to read it.
For more information, at other Web sites...
-
George H. Hitchings, Jr. — autobiography from the Nobel Foundation.
The Reconstructors — be the drug discoverer in this postapocalyptic sci-fi drug development game that lets you rediscover the secrets of aspirin in a future world that has lost the knowledge of modern medicine, from Rice University.
Magic Bullets Directory | Site Map | Pharmaceutical Achievers Home
Copyright ©2001 The Chemical Heritage Foundation