Which scientist won the 1986 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discovering nerve growth factor?

Rita Levi-Montalcini won the 1986 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discovering nerve growth factor.

Levi-Montalcini identified nerve growth factor, or NGF, a protein that supports the growth, survival, and development of certain nerve cells. She made the discovery with Stanley Cohen, who shared the Nobel Prize with her. Their work helped establish the importance of signaling molecules that guide cells during development.

Levi-Montalcini began research in Italy but continued her work in the United States during and after the Second World War. Her early experiments involved tumor tissue and developing nerve fibers. NGF later became important in research on pain, inflammation, neurodegeneration, and cancer biology. Levi-Montalcini was appointed a senator for life in Italy in 2001 and remained scientifically active well into old age. She died in Rome in 2012 at 103.