Remembering a Pioneer: My Journey with James D. Watson
8 Nov , 2025
It was an honor and a privilege to have known and worked with James D. Watson, the father of modern genetics and co-discoverer of the DNA double helix, during the years I spent at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, which he directed. Under his guidance and constant support, I discovered the fundamental mechanism of cyclins and CDKs and their crucial role in cancer development, along with other key proteins regulating the cell cycle. These studies paved the way for decisive advances in understanding cell growth and division — with profound implications for cancer research and many other diseases.
During those years, Watson often spoke to me about his deep affection for Naples, a city he felt especially connected to. It was at the Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn that he first met Francis Crick, beginning a remarkable collaboration that forever changed the history of biology. I myself had the privilege of working at Cold Spring Harbor in a lab inspired by the Dohrn Station — a symbolic bridge between Italian and international scientific traditions.
Although we were not in direct contact in recent years, in 2024 I was deeply touched to receive — through a friend, as he was already very ill — a copy of his celebrated book The Double Helix, with a personal dedication that I still treasure. This gesture remains a precious memory and a symbol of a bond that profoundly shaped my human and scientific journey.
In remembering James Watson, it is also fitting to pay tribute to Francis Crick, Maurice Wilkins, and Rosalind Franklin — without whom the extraordinary discovery of the DNA structure would not have been possible. Their genius, perseverance, and vision forever changed biology and medicine, opening horizons that continue to inspire research today.
The passing of James Watson marks the end of an era, yet his boundless curiosity, pioneering spirit, and unwavering belief in science as an adventure of the human spirit will remain a beacon — for me, and for all who believe in knowledge as a force for a better world.
