David Ho, one of the world's foremost researchers of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), made his greatest contribution to science when he demonstrated the power of combinations of new state-of-the art AIDS drugs. Ho's research showed that by administering these drugs to patients within weeks after they caught the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the virus could be halted in its tracks. Ho's work is considered a major breakthrough in the battle against AIDS, offering increased hope that a cure and vaccine will eventually be found.

Ho, the first chief executive officer and scientific director of the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center, the largest AIDS research center in the world, was also the fourth scientist to identify the virus that causes AIDS. He was named Time magazine's Man of the Year in 1996. Ho attributes his success in AIDS research to his tenacity, instilled in him by his Chinese immigrant...