George H. Hitchings
Encyclopedia
George Herbert Hitchings (April 18, 1905 – February 27, 1998) was an American
doctor who shared the 1988 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
with Sir James Black and Gertrude Elion "for their discoveries of important principles for drug treatment," Hitchings specifically for his work on chemotherapy
.
Hitchings was born in Hoquiam, Washington
, in 1905, and grew up there, in Berkeley, California
, San Diego, Bellingham, Washington
, and Seattle. He graduated from Seattle's Franklin High School
, where he was salutatorian
, in 1923, and from there went to the University of Washington
, from which he graduated with a degree in chemistry
cum laude in 1927, after having been elected to Phi Beta Kappa as a junior the year before. That summer, he worked at the university's Puget Sound
Biological Station at Friday Harbor
on San Juan Island
http://depts.washington.edu/fhl/, and received a master's degree the next year for his thesis based on that work.
From the University of Washington, Hitchings went to Harvard University
as a teaching fellow, ending up at Harvard Medical School. Before getting his Ph.D.
in 1933, he joined Alpha Chi Sigma
in 1929. During the next ten years, he would work at Harvard and Case Western Reserve University
. In 1942, he went to work for Wellcome Research Laboratories
, where he began working with Gertrude Elion in 1944. Drugs Hitchings' team worked on included 2,6-diaminopurine
(a compound to treat leukemia
) and p-chlorophenoxy-2,4-diaminopyrimidine (a folic acid
antagonist). According to his Nobel Prize autobiography,
In 1967 Hitchings became Vice President in Charge of Research of Burroughs-Wellcome. He became Scientist Emeritus in 1976. He died in 1998 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
doctor who shared the 1988 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine administered by the Nobel Foundation, is awarded once a year for outstanding discoveries in the field of life science and medicine. It is one of five Nobel Prizes established in 1895 by Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, in his will...
with Sir James Black and Gertrude Elion "for their discoveries of important principles for drug treatment," Hitchings specifically for his work on chemotherapy
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the treatment of cancer with an antineoplastic drug or with a combination of such drugs into a standardized treatment regimen....
.
Hitchings was born in Hoquiam, Washington
Hoquiam, Washington
Hoquiam is a city in Grays Harbor County, Washington state, United States. The town borders the city of Aberdeen at Myrtle Street with Hoquiam to the west. The two cities share a common economic history in lumbering and exporting but Hoquiam has maintained its independent identity...
, in 1905, and grew up there, in Berkeley, California
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
, San Diego, Bellingham, Washington
Bellingham, Washington
Bellingham is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Whatcom County in the U.S. state of Washington. It is the twelfth-largest city in the state. Situated on Bellingham Bay, Bellingham is protected by Lummi Island, Portage Island, and the Lummi Peninsula, and opens onto the Strait of Georgia...
, and Seattle. He graduated from Seattle's Franklin High School
Seattle Public Schools
Seattle Public Schools is the school district serving Seattle, Washington, USA. Its headquarters are in the John Stanford Center for Educational Excellence.-List of schools:...
, where he was salutatorian
Salutatorian
Salutatorian is an academic title given, in the United States and Canada, to the second highest graduate of the entire graduating class of a specific discipline. Only the valedictorian is ranked higher. This honor is traditionally based on grade point average and number of credits taken, but...
, in 1923, and from there went to the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
, from which he graduated with a degree in chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
cum laude in 1927, after having been elected to Phi Beta Kappa as a junior the year before. That summer, he worked at the university's Puget Sound
Puget Sound
Puget Sound is a sound in the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected marine waterways and basins, with one major and one minor connection to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean — Admiralty Inlet being the major connection and...
Biological Station at Friday Harbor
Friday Harbor, Washington
Friday Harbor is a town in San Juan County, Washington, United States. The population was 2,162 at 2010 Census. Located on San Juan Island, Friday Harbor is the major commercial center of the San Juan Islands archipelago and is the county seat of San Juan County.-History:In 1845 the Hudson's Bay...
on San Juan Island
San Juan Island
San Juan Island is the second-largest and most populous of the San Juan Islands in northwestern Washington, United States. It has a land area of 142.59 km² and a population of 6,822 as of the 2000 census....
http://depts.washington.edu/fhl/, and received a master's degree the next year for his thesis based on that work.
From the University of Washington, Hitchings went to Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
as a teaching fellow, ending up at Harvard Medical School. Before getting his Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in 1933, he joined Alpha Chi Sigma
Alpha Chi Sigma
Alpha Chi Sigma is a professional fraternity specializing in the field of chemistry. It has both collegiate and professional chapters throughout the United States consisting of both men and women and numbering more than 63,400 members...
in 1929. During the next ten years, he would work at Harvard and Case Western Reserve University
Case Western Reserve University
Case Western Reserve University is a private research university located in Cleveland, Ohio, USA...
. In 1942, he went to work for Wellcome Research Laboratories
GlaxoSmithKline
GlaxoSmithKline plc is a global pharmaceutical, biologics, vaccines and consumer healthcare company headquartered in London, United Kingdom...
, where he began working with Gertrude Elion in 1944. Drugs Hitchings' team worked on included 2,6-diaminopurine
2,6-Diaminopurine
2,6-Diaminopurine is a compound used to treat leukemia.In August 2011, a report, based on NASA studies with meteorites found on Earth, was published suggesting 2,6-diaminopurine and related organic molecules, including the DNA and RNA components adenine and guanine, may have been formed...
(a compound to treat leukemia
Leukemia
Leukemia or leukaemia is a type of cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal increase of immature white blood cells called "blasts". Leukemia is a broad term covering a spectrum of diseases...
) and p-chlorophenoxy-2,4-diaminopyrimidine (a folic acid
Folic acid
Folic acid and folate , as well as pteroyl-L-glutamic acid, pteroyl-L-glutamate, and pteroylmonoglutamic acid are forms of the water-soluble vitamin B9...
antagonist). According to his Nobel Prize autobiography,
- The line of inquiry we had begun in the 1940s [also] yielded new drug therapies for malariaMalariaMalaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
(pyrimethaminePyrimethaminePyrimethamine is a medication used for protozoal infections. It is commonly used as an antimalarial drug , and is also used in the treatment of Toxoplasma gondii infections in immunocompromised patients, such as HIV-positive individuals.-Mechanism of action:Pyrimethamine interferes with...
), leukemia (6-mercaptopurine and thioguanineTioguanineTioguanine , formerly thioguanine , is a drug that is used in the treatment of cancer.It belongs to the family of drugs called antimetabolites...
), goutGoutGout is a medical condition usually characterized by recurrent attacks of acute inflammatory arthritis—a red, tender, hot, swollen joint. The metatarsal-phalangeal joint at the base of the big toe is the most commonly affected . However, it may also present as tophi, kidney stones, or urate...
(allopurinolAllopurinolAllopurinol is a drug used primarily to treat hyperuricemia and its complications, including chronic gout.- Mechanism of action :...
), organ transplantation (azathioprineAzathioprineAzathioprine is a purine analogue immunosuppressive drug. It is used to prevent organ rejection following organ transplantation and to treat a vast array of autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, pemphigus, inflammatory bowel disease , multiple sclerosis, autoimmune hepatitis, atopic...
) and bacterial infectionInfectionAn infection is the colonization of a host organism by parasite species. Infecting parasites seek to use the host's resources to reproduce, often resulting in disease...
s (co-trimoxazoleCo-trimoxazoleTrimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole or co-trimoxazole is a sulfonamide antibiotic combination of trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole, in the ratio of 1 to 5, used in the treatment of a variety of bacterial infections.The name co-trimoxazole is the British Approved Name, and has been marketed worldwide...
(trimethoprimA)). The new knowledge contributed by our studies pointed the way for investigations that led to major antiviral drugAntiviral drugAntiviral drugs are a class of medication used specifically for treating viral infections. Like antibiotics for bacteria, specific antivirals are used for specific viruses...
s for herpes infections (acyclovir) and AIDSAIDSAcquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
(zidovudineZidovudineZidovudine or azidothymidine is a nucleoside analog reverse-transcriptase inhibitor , a type of antiretroviral drug used for the treatment of HIV/AIDS. It is an analog of thymidine....
).
In 1967 Hitchings became Vice President in Charge of Research of Burroughs-Wellcome. He became Scientist Emeritus in 1976. He died in 1998 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Chapel Hill is a town in Orange County, North Carolina, United States and the home of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and UNC Health Care...
.