In the 1980s/90s, the Frenchman Luc Montagnier (1932-2022) represented the prototype of a dedicated European researcher, driven by the ideals of humanist science. Recognized with the Nobel Prize in medicine in 2008, he died in the ostracism reserved for denialists.
His nemesis was the American Roberto Gallo, with whom he disputed the primacy for the discovery of the HIV virus, which causes AIDS. Relegated for a time to the role of villain, Gallo reaches old age as a respected scientist – and considered wronged by the Nobel committee.
From a sample from a New Yorker, Montagnier isolated at the Pasteur Institute and published in the journal Science, in 1983, a retrovirus that he named LAV (lymphadenopathy-associated virus). The name alluded to the swollen lymph nodes of people with a mysterious disease.
The disease was then known as “gay cancer” because of its association with a skin tumor, Kaposi’s sarcoma. It was also called Hs disease, a reference to heroin addicts, homosexuals, Haitians and hemophiliacs.
Montagnier’s claims that he caused the disease, later renamed Aids (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, in its acronym in English) were initially met with skepticism. He was even mocked at a meeting of virologists in Cold Spring Harbor (USA).
His group, which featured prominently with Nobel co-laureate Françoise Barré-Sinoussi, applied for a patent on features of the LAV that would result in innovations such as diagnostic tests. It was denied.
In parallel, Gallo had discovered at the US National Cancer Institute another leukemia-causing virus, HTLV-3. The American government announced him as an agent of AIDS. Gallo obtained a patent on the diagnostic test, applied for after Montagnier was refused.
The case evolved into a transatlantic trade dispute. When it became clear that LAV and HTLV-3 were the same virus, the primacy of the despised European took precedence over that of the arrogant American—that was the current perception, at least.
In 1987, a binational agreement ended the litigation. Montagnier and Gallo were recognized as co-discoverers of the AIDS pathogen, which would go down in history with the nickname HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), and would share the royalties for the resulting tests and treatments.
The 2008 Nobel, however, would endorse the notion that the heroes were Montagnier and Barré-Sinoussi. Gallo went on to feature prominently on the long list of losers for the world’s most famous scientific prize. However, the award also marked the beginning of a radical reversal of trajectories.
Gallo, who was already a renowned virologist, pursued his successful career despite the setback. He founded the Institute of Human Virology (IHV) at the University of Maryland in 1996 and still directs it. He has published around 1,200 scientific articles.
Montagnier’s scientific reputation went downhill after the Nobel. Packed with fame, in the following year, 2009, he started to propagate controversial ideas about the emission of electromagnetic signals by the DNA of pathogens that would allow their identification.
It was a variant of the theories of another polemic Frenchman, Jacques Benveniste, about the “memory of water”, supposed retention of information about molecules no longer present in the liquid after the successive dilutions recommended by homeopathy.
Montagnier publicly defended Benveniste. Little by little, it lost prestige among research funding institutions, which began to refuse its requests for funding.
In 2012 the Nobel laureate tried to move to Cameroon, Africa, with the intention of directing the Chantal Biya International Reference Center (CIRCB) in Yaoundé. An open letter from 35 other laureates condemned the claim, which would threaten the future of the prestigious African AIDS research institution.
Gallo, although lacking a Nobel, supported the campaign against Montagnier’s nomination. At the same time, scientists were debating ideas about the fanciful risks of vaccines spread by the Frenchman, who attended an autism conference in Chicago to defend a link between the syndrome and immunizations.
With the Covid-19 pandemic, Montagnier took a few more steps down. He pointed to the existence of genetic content in Sars-CoV-2 similar to that of HIV and spread that the new coronavirus had escaped from a Chinese laboratory in Wuhan that was looking for an AIDS vaccine.
It so happens that the genetic material under suspicion is also present in thousands of other viruses. It is pointless to establish a causal link between the two pathogens, as Jair Bolsonaro did in October in a live broadcast.
Interviewed by Rodrigo Craveiro for Correio Braziliense, Gallo showed incredulity with the presidential speech: “It’s hard to believe that someone would say that the vaccine against Covid-19 causes AIDS. We know what causes AIDS”.
The president could claim, when defending himself in the inquiry opened by the Federal Supreme Court into his conduct, that he was based on the authority of a Nobel. As Montagnier had no accepted proof of the conspiracies he trumpeted, it would be more correct to say that the Nobel has slipped to the level of a president who uses a pandemic far worse than AIDS to fuel anti-vaccine denialism in search of votes.
Chad-98Weaver, a distinguished author at NewsBulletin247, excels in the craft of article writing. With a keen eye for detail and a penchant for storytelling, Chad delivers informative and engaging content that resonates with readers across various subjects. His contributions are a testament to his dedication and expertise in the field of journalism.
