Research Project
9981608
PROJECT SUMMARY The Annual International Meeting of the Institute of Human Virology began at the National Cancer Institute in the mid-1970s and brings together the world's foremost experts on the biology of HIV/AIDS, particularly on basic and vaccine science and new treatment and prevention approaches. The five specific aims of this conference are to disseminate the most current research findings within the selected program topics; critically assess the impact of new findings on future directions for research; provide a forum for discussion of current and emerging issues; identify, support, and build the next generation AIDS researcher; and increase participation by women, ethnic/racial minorities, and other individuals traditionally underrepresented in science. In 2013, the meeting was moved to Moscow, Russian Federation and co-sponsored with the Moscow Center for HIV Treatment and Prevention. This significant change of venue recognized the importance of viral diseases, including HIV/AIDS, in the Russian Federation, Europe, and Asia, and opened up new avenues of collaboration in basic research, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of human viral diseases among these geographic centers. The event returned to Baltimore in 2014 carrying forth the tradition of in-depth science at the cutting edge of new discovery, and in 2015 offered sessions on mechanisms of viral latency and recent advances in understanding the barriers to an HIV cure. Last year's meeting also included a special session on global virus threats: translating basic science to public health practice, while focus also continued on structural biology, immunology, and vaccines, and discussions on HIV co-infections/co-morbidities were expanded to included hepatitis C as well as cancer. Meeting sessions are customarily organized with divergent perspectives and ethnically diverse participants and are interspersed with special lectures designed to introduce new disciplines to discussions. Conference results are shared with the broader scientific community through publication of all speaker and poster abstracts in meeting materials and online. In 2016, the 18th Annual International Meeting is scheduled for Sep 19-22 in Baltimore, MD, with 400 participants anticipated, including significant NIH representation. Thematic sessions will include: Advances in Clinical Virology; Immunology and Immunopathogenesis; Viral Structure and Biology; HIV Cure Research; Progress in Vaccinology; Infectious Agents in Lymphoma and Cancer; and a Global Update. Posters will be displayed throughout the 4-day meeting, with evening activities designed to engage participants with collaborators, build new scientific partnerships, and foster the next generation of HIV/AIDS researcher with podium presentation of selected abstracts by young investigators. As is the tradition, a scholarship initiative will offer women, minorities, and other typically under-represented populations with the opportunity to participate for very little or no cost.
