ABSTRACT
The Mario Negri Institute, considered to be one of the international centres of excellence for biomedical research, was founded in 1961. It was the creation of a well-known goldsmith, the owner of an important jewellery shop in the glamorous Via Montenapoleone in Milan. Although he had no specifi c scientifi c training, Mario Negri was fascinated by research studies in biomedicine. By purchasing a small pharmaceutical company, Negri got in contact with the Institute of Pharmacology of Milan University where he met pharmacologist Silvio Garattini.
