Coronavirus, who are the three researchers who isolated the virus

Maria Capobianchi, Francesca Colavita and Concetta Castilletti work in the virology laboratory of the Italian institute which first, together with France, paved the way for a possible vaccine.

It is an all-female team that at the Spallanzani Institute in Rome has isolated the Chinese coronavirus, paving the way for a possible vaccine. The team is led by Maria Capobianchi, 67 year old born in Procida, graduated in biological sciences and specialized in microbiology, since 2000 at Spallanzani. With her work Concetta Castilletti, 56 years old, Sicilian from Ragusa in charge of the Emerging Virus Unit, specialized in microbiology and virology, and the young researcher Francesca Colavita, 30 years old from Campobasso, who has been working in the laboratory for 4 years after several missions in Sierra Leone to deal with the Ebola emergency.

Colavita, the youngest member of the team, has a collaboration contract at Spallanzani and works at the Virology and Biosecurity laboratory. He has also participated in projects in Sierra Leone in the laboratory installed at the 'Princess Christian Maternity Hospital' in Freetown.

Minister Bonetti: "High quality of Italian research"
"The result obtained in the research laboratory of the Spallanzani Institute led by Professor Capobianchi once again certifies the dedication, professionalism and high scientific quality of the Italian research world", said the Minister for the Family, Elena in a note Bonetti.

«A victory for the whole team» "We rocked the virus and also had some luck," says Castilletti, two older children and a family that has always supported her, starting with her husband. «They are used to this kind of emergency at home - says the researcher - also because I don't remember a life different from this. It has always been this way ». Spallanzani is a center of excellence and has always been at the forefront in these cases. "I have experienced the great emergency - he says - of Sars, Ebola, swine flu, chikungunya, and together with my colleagues we have often been to Africa. It is a job that I like very much and I could not do anything else. But the victory belongs to the whole team. We were all busy, the whole team. We have a state-of-the-art laboratory, engaged 24 hours a day in this type of emergency ».