Rita Levi-Montalcini

Even though Rita Levi-Montalcini faced deep persecution as a Jew in Italy during World War II, she pursued her research on the growth of nerve fibers. She studied chicken embryos to determine the effect that amputations of limbs has on the nervous system in a secret laboratory in her home. It was there that she discovered what scientists now call the "trophic Factor" that causes nerve fibers to spread.

In 1946, she accepted an invitation to continue her research at Washington University in Saint Louis, Missouri. Working there, Dr. Rita Levi-Montalcini was instrumental in discovering NGF   (nerve growth factor), a substance found in malignant tumors that causes nerve fibers to grow rapidly.

In 1986, Dr. Rita Levi-Montalcini received due recognition when she, along with her colleague, Dr. Stanley Cohen, won the Nobel Prize in medicine for the discoveries of NGF and of EGF (epidermal growth factor), which is used in the treatment of severe burns.

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