In 1986, Dr. Stanley Cohen of the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and Dr. Rita Levi-Montalcini each received a shared Nobel Prize ‘for their discovery of nerve growth factor (NGF) and epidermal growth factor (EGF).’

The discovery of NGF and EGF has opened new fields of widespread importance to basic science. As a direct consequence we may increase our understanding of many disease states such as developmental malformations, degenerative changes in senile dementia, delayed wound healing and tumour diseases.