1909- . Italian neurologist who discovered
nerve-growth factor, a substance that
controls how many cells make up the adult
nervous system. Nobel prize 1986.
Levi-Montalcini studied at Turin and worked
there until the Fascist anti-Semitic laws
forced her to go into hiding. She continued
research into the nervous systems of chick
embryos. After World War II she moved to the
USA.