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Extra Life: A Short History of Living Longer

How Gertrude Elion Became a Pioneer of Modern Medicine

Gertrude Elion's role in developing drugs made her a pioneer of modern medicine.

Aired 05/25/2021

Extra Life: A Short History of Living Longer

How Gertrude Elion Became a Pioneer of Modern Medicine

Clip: Episode 3 | 5m 3sVideo has Closed Captions

Gertrude Elion's role in developing drugs made her a pioneer of modern medicine.

Gertrude Elion and George Hitchings were a drug-making dream team. They built highly efficient, targeted synthetic drugs to perform specific tasks. Elion and her team built a new antiviral drug in the 1970s to treat herpes, ushering in a new age of medicine and paving the way for designer drugs that could treat a huge range of illnesses.

Aired 05/25/2021

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Alexander Fleming's Messy Desk Leads to a Major Discovery

Video has Closed Captions

Clip: Ep3 | 4m 58s | Alexander Fleming's untidy desk becomes the key to a major scientific breakthrough. (4m 58s)

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