In 2008, the Nobel Prize went to Montagnier and his colleague, while Gallo was overlooked. This reignited a global debate. Many believe Gallo was excluded because of his unethical communications, including the early draft of his paper. He also adamantly stated that his original HTLV-II isolate was unrelated to LAV, when it was later discovered that the viruses were identical. Despite Gallo’s exclusion from the prize, his work in revealing the link between HIV and AIDS, the techniques in discovering it, and the foundation for testing are uncontested, even by Montagnier.

 "I am sad that Bob (Gallo) was left out… His work was critical to pinning down HIV as the cause of AIDS."

~David Baltimore (Nobel Laureate)

 "It was important to prove that HIV was the cause of AIDS, and Gallo had a very important role in that. I'm very sorry for Robert Gallo."

​​​​​​​~Luc Montagnier