Science is a truly global enterprise and the opposite of nationalism. In light of the British referendum and the decision to leave the EU, we can look to southern Italy for two lessons to see where the decision could lead us. [Image: see text]This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from Wiley via http://dx.doi.org/10.15252/embr.20164301

Francesco Colucci

Norman Lewis

PubMed

Colucci, Francesco

Apollo (Cambridge)

OpinionImagine a world without borders: animmunologist’s thoughts on BrexitFrancesco ColucciSee also: F Gannon (September 2016) andS Curry (September 2016)D id you know that the mafia wasstarted in Sicily as a civil organizationto protect the interests of local busi-ness from foreign governments far away onthe Continent? Does this sound familiar tothose who voted for Brexit? Yet, the mafiamorphed into an ugly monster fueled by fear,hatred, greed, and a thirst for power. TheAllies revived the organization after WorldWar II because they had a vested interest insuppressing emerging socialist movementsand appointed local bosses to replace fascistmayors [1]. In Sicily, the arms race betweenstate and mafia led to the atrocities of 1992,when judges Giovanni Falcone and PaoloBorsellino were brutally murdered.Just a year before, the “Scuola Superiore diImmunologia Ruggero Ceppellini” was foun-ded in Naples. Serafino Zappacosta and othervisionaries wanted to “foster wider interest inimmunology and attract to the discipline youngscientists, also from disadvantaged countries”.The school attracts young scientists and world-class teachers [2]. Silvia Fontana-Zappacosta,Antonio di Giacomo, and Tricia Reynoldscontinue the founder’s work with enthusiasm,no remuneration, let alone profit. The mafiaand the school of immunology, which hasconnections all over the world, are two exam-ples from southern Italy that illustrate theopposite results of choosing between universalbenefits and national interests.The result of the referendum in Britainhas shaken the EU to its core. Nationalistmovements—not just in Britain but else-where in the EU—now threaten to end theongoing experiment of a unified continent.Although its regulations are frustrating andstifling, the idea of a union must bedefended.We are all connected. In 1945, the Alliescontrolled southern Italy where my grandfa-ther used to travel for work in his vanbetween Naples and Puglia. A father of three,he was killed in a car accident with a militaryconvoy of the British Army Intelligence Corpsin Naples. My mother and her two brothersgrew up without a father and with very littlecomfort, like so many of her generation. Heryounger brother became a doctor, trained withRuggero Ceppellini, one of the great Italianscientists of his time, and became a renownedscientist [3]. I followed in his footsteps andnow work at the University of Cambridge withmy friend and colleague Ashley Moffett. In1945, her father was driving military convoysaround Naples. We have asked each othermany times: Had my grandfather ever met herfather?Our students must think we form an oddduo: An Irish English doctor trained atCambridge and Oxford and a southern Ital-ian doctor trained all over Europe. Twoyears ago, we taught a course at the ScuolaSuperiore di Immunologia, supported by theEuropean Federation of Immunological Soci-eties, the European Journal of Immunology,and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.Our course near Naples attracted 59 partici-pants from 27 countries from all continents.Time seems to give you a break to discusswith colleagues from all over the worldwhen you teach at the school. And yet, theVesuvio reminds you that nothing is perma-nent and you better make your life count.In response to the catastrophe of WWII,Europe laid the foundation for the EU, whichhas brought peace to a continent that hadbeen plagued by 2000 years of war andconflict. But the referendum in Britain andpolitical movements all over the world showthat this is no longer enough to overcometribalism and nationalism. It is about timewe start a new project that builds uponanother powerful human instinct: generos-ity. We must realize that sharing preventsconflict and breeds prosperity.Scientists are well aware of the benefits ofcooperation and sharing. The academic worldhas been without borders for more than900 years and shared knowledge has greatlybenefited mankind. The very meaning of theword “University” nullifies the concept ofborders, and we cannot compromise on ourgreat achievement. Whatever the future holdsfor the EU, we must resist descending backinto nationalist fervor. Only a world withoutborders and national interests may cherishknowledge, education, health, and the respectof human rights, giving equal opportunities toall worldwide. As scientists, we can lead byexample to create a society where there is“nothing to kill or die for”.References1. Norman Lewis (1964) The honoured society.Eland ISBN 978-0907871-48-42. Di Giacomo A (2014) . Eur J Immunol 44:1573 – 15743. Tosi M (1997) . Res Immunol 148: 211 – 216License: This is an open access article under theterms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 License, whichpermits use and distribution in any medium,provided the original work is properly cited, the useis non-commercial and no modifications or adapta-tions are made.University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK. E-mail: fc287@medschl.cam.ac.ukDOI 10.15252/embr.201643019 | Published online 5 August 2016ª 2016 The Author. Published under the terms of the CC BY NC ND 4.0 license EMBO reports Vol 17 | No 9 | 2016 1241

Imagine a world without borders: an immunologist's thoughts on Brexit.

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Imagine a world without borders: an immunologist's thoughts on Brexit

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Imagine a world without borders: an immunologist's thoughts on Brexit.

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