Rita Levi-Montalcini – Neurobiologist and Nobel Laureate

This episode tells the inspiring story of Rita Levi-Montalcini, the Italian neurobiologist whose groundbreaking discovery of the nerve growth factor (NGF) transformed neuroscience. Born in 1909 in Turin, she defied her father's wishes and societal norms to pursue medicine. During World War II, when anti-Jewish laws barred her from academia, she built a secret laboratory in her bedroom and continued her experiments on nerve cell development. After the war, she moved to the United States, joining Washington University in St. Louis, where her collaboration with Stanley Cohen led to the identification of NGF—the first molecule shown to stimulate the growth and survival of nerve cells. This discovery opened entire fields of research in neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, and cell biology. For this work, she and Cohen were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1986. Beyond the lab, Rita championed education, women in science, and global development, founding the European Brain Research Institute and establishing programs to support young African women in education. She lived to 103, working and advocating for science until her final years. Her life is remembered as a triumph of resilience, intellect, and courage in the face of adversity.