Levi-Montalcini, Rita

Levi-Montalcini, Rita (lā'vē-mon"tulsē'nē) [key], 1909–, Italian-American neurologist, b. Turin, Italy. A dual citizen of Italy and the United States, Levi-Montalcini did her most important work at Washington Univ. with Stanley Cohen. Studying mouse tumors implanted in chicken embryos, the pair isolated a nerve-growth factor, the first of many cell-growth factors found in animals. For this discovery Levi-Montalcini and Cohen were awarded the 1986 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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