Levi-Montalcini, Rita (1909- )

Italian neurologist who discovered nerve-growth factor, a substance that controls how many cells make up the adult nervous system. She shared the 1986 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine with her co-worker, US biochemist Stanley Cohen (1922- ). Levi-Montalcini was born and educated in Turin and began her research there. When the Fascist anti-Semitic laws forced her to leave the university 1939, she constructed a home laboratory. After World War II she moved to the USA and was at the Washington University in St Louis 1947-81, becoming professor 1958. In 1981 she went to Rome. Levi-Montalcini first discovered nerve-growth factor in the salivary glands of developing mouse embryos, and later in many tissues. She established that it was chemically a protein, and analysed the mechanism of its action. Her work has contributed to the understanding of some neurological diseases, tissue regeneration, and cancer mechanisms.