in an honor that has never been granted to a single scientist, Time magazine named David Ho, head of Aaron diamond AIDS Research Center in New York City (ADARC), its man of the year. The magazine tapped the 44-year-old Ho, he said, for "pioneering treatment which could, could well lead to a cure." But some AIDS researchers fear that the award may further divide a field known for its fierce competition and heated disputes.
> An accompanying profile muses on Ho "genius." And there is no doubt that Ho and his colleagues at the 5-year-old ADARC had a record year, the publication of several papers in high impact in basic and clinical research of AIDS. Clinically, they have been at the forefront of studies that have shown that protease inhibitors, a new class of anti-HIV drugs can lead blood levels of HIV at undetectable levels for more than a year in many patients when used in combination with older drugs like AZT and 3TC. And Ho laboratory also conducted pathbreaking studies on how quickly HIV replicates, how long it takes medication to decimate the virus and how HIV uses receptors for immune system chemicals called chemokines to infect cells.
The Time package emphasizes that the strides AIDS researchers conducted in 1996 in the treatment of people infected with HIV can not fairly be credited to any scientist or institution - a Ho item readily admits . "Our achievements reflect not only the efforts of [ADARC], but also many other scientific and research institutions active in the HIV / AIDS movement," he said in a statement. In addition, as Ho and Time focus, AIDS has not been healed, and many crucial questions remain unanswered. For example, although the addition of proteases to the anti-HIV drug plans has clearly led to marked improvements in many AIDS patients, the magnitude - and especially the duration -. These benefits is still in the air
Despite warnings, some researchers fear that AIDS Ho will be seen to have played a more important role in the fight against AIDS that every person deserves. When asked his reaction to Time 'choice, Duke University researcher AIDS Dani Bolognesi - who says he appreciates the value of working Ho - is a little stunned. "Wow, is all I have to say, wow," says Bolognesi, adding he fears that singling Ho could further polarize a turbulent field. Just a few days before the award was announced, in fact, The Wall Street Journal published a front page article in which critics blamed Ho for what Journal called his "propensity for publicity"
However, as Time first Man 'of the year tribute to a scientist since 1960 -. when he presented 15 scientific a package of different disciplines of the renaissance of scientific discovery - some AIDS researchers undoubtedly will see the credit given to the way Ho time intended: as "an emblem of a key moment, chosen represent the best work of all scientists of AIDS. "
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