During a recent physician roundtable discussion conducted by Dr. Dominique Charron from the Hospital Saint Louis in Paris, a surprise visitor sitting in the audience was Dr. Luc Montagnier. Dr. Montagnier is best known for his 1983 discovery of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which has been identified as the cause of AIDS. This discovery led directly to the development of a test for detecting the presence of HIV in blood samples.

Dr. Montagnier has received more that 20 major awards, including the Commandeur de la Legion d’Honneur, the Lasker Award (1986) and the Gairdnier Award (1987). In addition to his long standing efforts in research at the Pasteur Institute in Paris, France, Dr. Montagnier is the Co-Founder of the World Foundation AIDS Research and Prevention.

During his visit to BioBancUSA, Dr. Montagnier insisted on storing both his blood and his assistants, immediately following the roundtable discussion. The team at BioBancUSA is extremely honored by his request and thankful for his interest in the future of white blood cell therapies.