Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2008. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Bay Area Reporter - October 9, 2008
Bob Roehr
The question of whether Montagnier or Gallo first "discovered" the virus was one of the most contentious issues in 20th century science. It involved colossal egos and control of valuable patent rights.
It was later established that much of Gallo's work was based upon samples of the virus provided by Montagnier. Gallo claimed that his equipment had inadvertently become contaminated by the samples; others charged that he had intentionally committed fraud.
The political issues were resolved in 1987 when President Ronald Reagan and French Prime Minister Jacques Chirac signed an unprecedented binational agreement to share the discovery. The scientific community has more frequently cited Montagnier's paper.
The pair of researchers were jointly presented America's top medical research prize, the Lasker Award, in 1987 for their work on HIV. The award focused on Montagnier's work in identifying the virus and Gallo's in establishing the link between it and disease.
Gallo was a researcher at the National Cancer Institute at the time of that discovery and he has remained a major figure in HIV research as head of the Institute for Human Virology, in Baltimore.
Montagnier was at the Pasteur Institute at the time, and much of the work in identifying HIV was done by his subordinates, including Barre-Sinoussi. He knew little of retroviruses and has not been a major ongoing contributor to the field of HIV research.
In released statements, Montagnier said that Gallo was equally worthy of being included as a recipient of the prize. Gallo expressed disappointment but was "pleased that the Nobel Committee chose to recognize the importance of AIDS with these awards."
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