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Rita Levi-Montalcini-Nobel Prize for Work in Neurology
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1938, she spent a year as a researcher at the Neurology Institute in Brussels, Belgium. During the years 1940 to 1943, Levi-Montalcini could not work at a university in Italy because of her Jewish ancestry and Italy’s anti-Semitic laws, so she conducted research in her bedroom in a house in the Turin countryside. When the German army occupied northern Italy (1943-1945), she moved to Florence, where she managed to work in her small apartment. In 1944, after the Allied liberation of Italy was under way, she provided medical services for the American army in a camp for Italian refugees. In 1945, she returned to Turin and became a researcher at the University of Turin. In 1947, Levi-Montalcini went to Washington University in St Louis, Mo, to work with embryologist Viktor Hamburger (1900-2001), who was studying the growth of nerve tissue in chick embryos. In 1948, she and Hamburger identified nerve growth factor, the first of many cell-growth factors discovered in the bodies of animals. In 1953, American biologist and zoologist Stanley Cohen joined her at Washington University, and they continued the work on nerve growth factor. Cohen purified nerve growth factor, determined its chemical nature, and produced nerve growth factor antibodies. He also discovered another growth factor, epidermal growth factor. By 1958, Levi-Montalcini had become a full professor in the biology department at Washington University. In 1961, Levi-Montalcini, who had dual US and Italian citizenship, began commuting between the United States and Italy. From 1968 to 1978, she was director of the Institute of Cell Biology of the Italian National Council of Research in Rome, and she retained her faculty status at Washington University until 1977, when she became professor emeritus. After 1978, she continued to be a full-time researcher at the institute in Rome. Levi-Montalcini was honored as a Nobel laureate on a stamp issued by Sierra Leone in 1995.
Rita Levi-Montalcini— Nobel Prize for Work in Neurology Marc A. Shampo, PhD, and Robert A. Kyle, MD
T
he 1986 Nobel Prize for medicine or physiology was shared by Rita Levi-Montalcini and Stanley Cohen (1922) for discoveries of fundamental importance in understanding the mechanisms that regulate the growth of cells and organs. Together, they identified the protein that controls the growth of cells in the nervous system (nerve growth factor) and showed that it is necessary for normal nerve growth and maintenance. Levi-Montalcini continued her research on nerve cell growth throughout her career, and her work has had considerable influence on basic research on several diseases, including cancer, Parkinson disease, and Alzheimer disease. Levi-Montalcini was born on April 22, 1909, in Turin, in northwestern Italy. She and her twin sister Paola (who became an artist) were the youngest of 4 children. Her mother was an artist, and her father was an electrical engineer. Rita added her mother’s name (Montalcini) to her surname (Levi) when she began her professional career. In 1936, Levi-Montalcini received her MD degree from the University of Turin, and in 1940, she received a degree for specialization in neurology and psychiatry from the same institution. From 1936 to 1938, she was an assistant at the Neurology Clinic at the Turin School of Medicine, and in
Mayo Clin Proc. 2003;78:1448
1448
© 2003 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
For personal use. Mass reproduce only with permission from Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
Stamp Vignette
Mayo Clin Proc, September 2001, Vol 76
Stamp Vignette on Medical Science
1938, she spent a year as a researcher at the Neurology Institute in Brussels, Belgium. During the years 1940 to 1943, Levi-Montalcini could not work at a university in Italy because of her Jewish ancestry and Italy’s anti-Semitic laws, so she conducted research in her bedroom in a house in the Turin countryside. When the German army occupied northern Italy (1943-1945), she moved to Florence, where she managed to work in her small apartment. In 1944, after the Allied liberation of Italy was under way, she provided medical services for the American army in a camp for Italian refugees. In 1945, she returned to Turin and became a researcher at the University of Turin. In 1947, Levi-Montalcini went to Washington University in St Louis, Mo, to work with embryologist Viktor Hamburger (1900-2001), who was studying the growth of nerve tissue in chick embryos. In 1948, she and Hamburger identified nerve growth factor, the first of many cell-growth factors discovered in the bodies of animals. In 1953, American biologist and zoologist Stanley Cohen joined her at Washington University, and they continued the work on nerve growth factor. Cohen purified nerve growth factor, determined its chemical nature, and produced nerve growth factor antibodies. He also discovered another growth factor, epidermal growth factor. By 1958, Levi-Montalcini had become a full professor in the biology department at Washington University. In 1961, Levi-Montalcini, who had dual US and Italian citizenship, began commuting between the United States and Italy. From 1968 to 1978, she was director of the Institute of Cell Biology of the Italian National Council of Research in Rome, and she retained her faculty status at Washington University until 1977, when she became professor emeritus. After 1978, she continued to be a full-time researcher at the institute in Rome. Levi-Montalcini was honored as a Nobel laureate on a stamp issued by Sierra Leone in 1995.
Rita Levi-Montalcini— Nobel Prize for Work in Neurology Marc A. Shampo, PhD, and Robert A. Kyle, MD
T
he 1986 Nobel Prize for medicine or physiology was shared by Rita Levi-Montalcini and Stanley Cohen (1922) for discoveries of fundamental importance in understanding the mechanisms that regulate the growth of cells and organs. Together, they identified the protein that controls the growth of cells in the nervous system (nerve growth factor) and showed that it is necessary for normal nerve growth and maintenance. Levi-Montalcini continued her research on nerve cell growth throughout her career, and her work has had considerable influence on basic research on several diseases, including cancer, Parkinson disease, and Alzheimer disease. Levi-Montalcini was born on April 22, 1909, in Turin, in northwestern Italy. She and her twin sister Paola (who became an artist) were the youngest of 4 children. Her mother was an artist, and her father was an electrical engineer. Rita added her mother’s name (Montalcini) to her surname (Levi) when she began her professional career. In 1936, Levi-Montalcini received her MD degree from the University of Turin, and in 1940, she received a degree for specialization in neurology and psychiatry from the same institution. From 1936 to 1938, she was an assistant at the Neurology Clinic at the Turin School of Medicine, and in
Mayo Clin Proc. 2003;78:1448
1448
© 2003 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
For personal use. Mass reproduce only with permission from Mayo Clinic Proceedings.