Lab photo
<p>The work of researchers, such as these National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases scientists, led to dozens of discoveries about the human immune system, cell surface markers, and molecular genetics.</p>
<p><em>Nathan Benn, photographer</em></p>
Luc Montagnier
<p>In 1983–84, both Dr. Luc Montagnier, Pasteur Institute, Paris, and Dr. Robert Gallo, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, discovered HIV. They resolved the dispute over priority by sharing recognition as co-discoverers and co-patentees of the test kit, and by the equal sharing of all royalties.</p>
<p><em>AP photograph</em></p>
Robert Gallo
<p>In 1983–84, both Dr. Luc Montagnier, Pasteur Institute, Paris, and Dr. Robert Gallo, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, discovered HIV. They resolved the dispute over priority by sharing recognition as co-discoverers and co-patentees of the test kit, and by the equal sharing of all royalties.</p>
<p><em>AP photograph</em></p>
AZT drug vials
Azidothymidine—AZT—brought the first real hope for treatment. It prolonged some patients’ lives by slowing replication of HIV. It was introduced in 1987 under the name Retrovir®.
Red Cross message to blood donors
Once scientists established blood transmission of HIV, monitoring blood supplies became critical. Hemophilia patients required frequent transfusions, increasing their risk of infection.
HIV test kit and pamphlet
In 1985 the first commercial HIV test became available. Using a technique developed in the 1960s and 1970s, the test identified HIV antibodies. It also sparked intense debates about privacy and the potential misuse of test results.
Levy flasks and cell counter
In 1983 Dr. Jay Levy and his lab colleagues at the University of California at San Francisco also isolated the virus. Levy used this equipment to collect cell cultures and tally cells during his HIV research.