Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone
(GnRH)

The Discovery

The Race Begins

Two young scientists, Andrew Schally and Roger Guillemin, met at the University of Montreal in Ca...

Two young scientists, Andrew Schally and Roger Guillemin, met at the University of Montreal in Canada. Both wanted to solve the same mystery: what makes your body go through puberty? Scientists knew the pituitary gland released hormones, but what triggered it? Schally and Guillemin began working in separate labs, competing fiercely for the answer. They didn't share their discoveries with each other. For 21 years, they raced toward the same goal.

The Breakthrough

The Mockery and the Struggle

At a science meeting in Miami, Schally and Guillemin had found nothing after five years of work.

At a science meeting in Miami, Schally and Guillemin had found nothing after five years of work. A famous endocrinologist made fun of them. He said the hormone they were looking for didn't exist—it was as real as the Loch Ness monster or Bigfoot. Other scientists laughed. Schally felt humiliated and left to start his own lab in New Orleans. The rivalry got worse. But both men refused to give up. They worked longer hours. They dissected more brains. They refused to accept defeat.

The Trials

The Breakthrough Discovery

Schally's team in New Orleans finally isolated gonadorelin from pig brains.

Schally's team in New Orleans finally isolated gonadorelin from pig brains. At almost exactly the same time, Guillemin's team at UC San Diego did the same thing. Both teams had the answer. Remarkably, the hormone was only 10 amino acids long—much smaller than scientists expected. It wasn't magic. It was tiny and elegant. They had won the race, but neither man had beaten the other decisively. They had both crossed the finish line together.

The Crisis

The Nobel Prize and the Reconciliation

The Nobel Committee awarded the 1977 Prize in Physiology or Medicine to three scientists: Schally...

The Nobel Committee awarded the 1977 Prize in Physiology or Medicine to three scientists: Schally, Guillemin, and Rosalyn Yalow. Schally and Guillemin had to share half the prize. Yalow got the other half for inventing the method to measure hormones in blood. Reporters asked about their rivalry. Guillemin said it was 'good competition.' Schally reminded everyone of the 'vicious attacks' over 21 years. But now they were Nobel laureates. The world recognized both men's achievements. Their fierce competition had driven both teams forward, faster than either could have gone alone.

The Legacy

Medicine Today: Helping People Have Babies

Doctors now use gonadorelin to help people have children.

Doctors now use gonadorelin to help people have children. If a woman's pituitary gland isn't making enough gonadorelin, doctors give it to her in pulses. This triggers her brain to release eggs. For men with low testosterone, gonadorelin therapy can restart the system. Doctors also use it as a test: they give a single injection and watch how much FSH and LH the pituitary releases. This tells them if the gland is working right. Factrel and LutrePulse were the brand names. Though they're no longer sold, compounded versions still help thousands of people become parents.