BUSINESS WIRE; Thursday April 30, 5:18 pm EST
The pair received the $100,000 award at a reception in their honor at the Four Seasons Hotel, Boston. The luncheon featured introductory remarks by United States Senator Bill Bradley, as well as comments by Alpert Prize Scientific Advisory Committee Chair Dr. Joseph B. Martin, dean of Harvard Medical School, and Warren Alpert, philanthropist, businessman and sole benefactor of the Warren Alpert Foundation.
"During the past ten years, the Foundation has built a tradition of honoring notable scientists from around the world," said Alpert. "I can't think of anyone more deserving than this year's recipients, whose discoveries have had such a major impact on so many people. It's gratifying to be able to remind the world of the miracles their work has effected."
The Foundation's Scientific Advisory Committee-comprised of experts from Harvard and Massachusetts Institute of Technology-chose Gallo and Montagnier because of the widespread and rapid impact of their research findings. Each year, the Committee recognizes creative research that has dramatically impacted the human condition.
"It is a great privilege and honor to be recognized by the Alpert Foundation and Harvard Medical School," said Gallo. "I am delighted it is with my colleague, Dr. Luc Montagnier, whose seminal contribution with his co-workers in 1983 opened a large door in this field."
The Impact of the Research - Knowing the cause of AIDS had almost immediate worldwide implications on the health and well-being of both those infected with the virus and those not infected. The rapid development of a test to determine whether an individual was infected allowed blood banks to screen donors and almost completely eliminate a major source of infections. It also allowed those at high risk for infection to be tested, calming many who had lived for years with anxiety, and enabling those infected to monitor their health more aggressively. Detailed knowledge of HIV resulted from the ability to grow it in the lab, a complex task perfected by this year's Alpert Prize winners. This knowledge has led to the creation of multiple drug therapies that now allow many who are infected to live for years with few symptoms. By understanding the virus, scientists have been able to find drugs that act on different parts of its life cycle and prevent it from replicating. This multi-front attack has proven essential because the virus can quickly mutate and evade any one strategy.
Gallo and Montagnier - Gallo, internationally recognized for his achievements in retrovirology, is director of the University of Maryland at Baltimore's Institute of Human Virology as well as head of the Tumor Biology Program within its Cancer Center. Gallo's research has focused on the biology of blood cells and their disorders linked to viruses, especially AIDS and leukemia. In 1984, he and his colleagues grew HIV and developed a test that could detect the presence of HIV in blood. Gallo has received nearly 100 honors and has authored, or co-authored, more than 1,000 publications. From 1965-95 he held several positions at the National Cancer Institute, including chief of the Laboratory of Tumor Cell Biology from 1972-95.
Montagnier is director of the Bernard and Gloria Salick Center for Molecular and Cellular Biology at Queens College, president of the World Foundation for AIDS Research and Prevention, Paris, and professor at the Pasteur Institute.
Montagnier and his Pasteur Institute colleagues discovered HIV-1 in 1983 and HIV-2 in 1985. His most recent research efforts have focused on identifying infectious cofactors of HIV. Montagnier, who earned a medical degree from Paris University and a Diplome d'Etudes Superieures Sciences Naturelles from Pontiers, France, has received more than 20 major awards, including the Commandeur de la Legion d'Honneur. He has authored, or co-authored, more than 350 publications, including the 1994 book Of Viruses and Men, to be published in English later this year. Since 1972, he has held several positions at the Pasteur Institute, including head of both the Viral Oncology Unit and the Department of AIDS and Retroviruses.
Warren Alpert Foundation Prize - Chelsea, Massachusetts native Warren Alpert, chairman of Warren Equities, established the Alpert Prize in 1986 after reading an article about University of Edinburgh's Kenneth Murray, who developed a vaccine for hepatitis B. Alpert decided he would like to reward such far-reaching breakthroughs, called Murray to tell him he had won a prize, then set about creating the Foundation. To choose subsequent recipients, he asked Dr. Daniel Tosteson, then dean of Harvard Medical School, to convene a panel of experts to select and honor renowned scientists from around the world.
In 1950, Warren Alpert, a first generation American, started his business with, as he tells it, "$1,000 and a used car." Today Warren Equities and its subsidiaries-which market petroleum and food items, and engage in transportation and real estate investments-generate approximately $900 million in annual volume and have more than 2,100 employees in 11 states. Forbes listed Warren Equities number 225 on its most recent list of the nation's largest privately held companies. Alpert is Warren Equities' sole owner and the Foundation's sole benefactor.
Contact: Warren Alpert Foundation Erin Nedell, 617-227-0012, x229 enedell@thecastlegrp.com or Harvard Medical School Bill Schaller, 617-432-0441 schaller@warren.med.harvard.edu
Copyright (c) 1998/BUSINESS WIRE. Reproduced with permission. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the Permissions Desk, Business Wire, 1185 Avenue of the Americas, 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10036; Tel: (212) 575-8822; FAX: (212) 575-1854.
980430
BW980409
Copyright © 1998 - Business Wire. All rights reserved. Reproduced with permission. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the Business Wire, Permissions Desk, Business Wire, 1185 Avenue of the Americas, 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10036; Tel: (212) 575-8822; FAX: (212) 575-1854. http://www.businesswire.com.
AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Elton John AIDS Foundation, the National Library of Medicine, Pacific Life Foundation and donations from users like you.
Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 1998. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1980, 1998. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .