Breakthroughs in medicine happen frequently, but lifesaving treatments don’t help if people can’t afford them. UCLA chemist Osvaldo Gutierrez is working to change that. His simple message: Science should help everyone.
Gutierrez’s journey has been anything but typical. Having grown up on a goat-herding ranch in rural Mexico, he immigrated to the U.S. and juggled odd jobs while attending high school and community college in California. When he transferred to UCLA, he became the first in his family to finish both high school and college.
“UCLA taught me how to tackle some of the world’s biggest problems,” he said. “The culture of inclusivity gave me the confidence to change the world.”
Today, as a professor of chemistry and biochemistry, Gutierrez leads research aimed at lowering the cost of important medicines. After losing his mother to cancer and seeing drug prices soar, he set out to develop more affordable treatments.
Read more about Gutierrez’s research and learn more about how UCLA Research Powers Progress.
