Our Mission
The Laboratory for Tumor and AIDS Virus Research was initially established by Dr. Levy as a cancer virus laboratory in the Cancer Research Institute at UCSF.

Early work by the laboratory dealt with animal models of cancer and immune disorders. The research specifically examined the possible role of retroviruses and herpesviruses in cancer and autoimmunity.

With the recognition of AIDS in 1981, the Levy laboratory was one of the first to isolate the causative agent, originally calling it the AIDS-associated retrovirus (ARV). Since that time, his laboratory has been dedicated to the biologic, immunologic, and molecular studies of HIV and the host's immune response against the virus.

The laboratory examines how HIV infects human cells and causes AIDS. Studies of the Levy group are directed at immune-based therapy, find a "cure" for HIV infection, and prevention of HIV transmission with an effective AIDS vaccine.