1. Pradeep Seth
Back in 2003, the race to find a vaccine for HIV was still in its infancy. While there was more knowledge than before on how the virus worked within the body, eventually transforming into full-blown AIDS, the disease was still a mystery to cure. Due to the fact that the virus could mutate and every strain of HIV was different depending on the person infected, focus began to shift towards vaccination.
One scientist believed he had a candidate vaccine that would work, however it had not been approved for human use. Pradeep Seth, a doctor in India and head of microbiology at the All India Institute had successful results on mice and monkeys. Therefore, knowing he wouldn’t be sued if he administered to himself, he became the first human test subject. Colleagues deemed his actions unethical, and while the vaccine ultimately proved unsuccessful, it was a brave attempt to learn more about how human DNA responds to the virus.