French virologist Luc Montagnier, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine for his contribution to the discovery of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) caused by AIDS, has died at the age of 89, the French News Agency (AFP) reported today.
Montagnier was awarded the Nobel Prize in 2008 along with France’s Françoise Bar-Sinousi and Germany’s Harald Chour Hausen.
Born in 1932 in France, he earned a doctorate in virology from the University of Paris. He later became director of the Global Foundation for AIDS Research and Prevention in Paris.
Before the AIDS epidemic broke out, Montagnier had made important discoveries about the nature of viruses and contributed to the understanding of how viruses can alter the genetic information of the host organism.
His research on interferon, a group of proteins that “activates” the immune system’s defenses against viruses, also paved the way for treatments for viral diseases.
Lic Montagnier sparked controversy in 2020, saying he believed the new coronavirus was created in a Chinese laboratory. His controversial claims about the effectiveness of Covid-19 vaccines had brought him back to the forefront in recent years, with him gaining the sympathy of members of the anti-vaccination movement and receiving criticism from a large section of the scientific community.
Source: ΑΠΕ-ΜΠΕ
Source: Capital
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