ABSTRACT
Support is requested for a Keystone Symposia conference entitled HIV Pathogenesis and Cure, organized by
Drs. Robert F. Siliciano, Carine M. Van Lint and Romas Geleziunas. The conference will be held in Keystone,
Colorado from March 22-26, 2020.
Human Immunodeficiency Virus type 1 (HIV) is the cause of a global pandemic that has a very high mortality
rate, with an estimated 35 million deaths to date. In addition, another 37 million people are currently living with
HIV infection and will likely succumb from acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) without lifelong
antiretroviral therapy (ART). Optimal ART can halt viral replication, thereby preventing disease progression and
allowing immune reconstitution. However, ART is not curative due the persistence of a latent form of the virus.
This latent form is the major barrier to cure and the subject of an intense international research effort. Along
with efforts to develop an HIV vaccine, targeting the HIV latent reservoir is a major priority for AIDS research.
Achieving a better understanding of the basic biology of HIV infection is likely to be essential to HIV cure
efforts. This conference will bring together scientists studying basic aspects of HIV virology as well as
investigators working directly on the cure problem. Immune-based strategies to eliminate infected cells are an
important component of many cure strategies, providing a logical connection to hold the joint conference on
HIV Vaccines. This pairing will provide a unique opportunity to bring together basic and translational
immunologists and virologists to consider the challenging goal of curing HIV infection. In addition to joint
sessions focusing on exciting new developments in the study of antibody and T cell responses to HIV and
novel technologies that will aid future studies of HIV biology, sessions also include basic mechanisms of HIV
integration and transcriptional control, strategies for reversing latency and eliminating infected cells, and trials
of novel cure strategies in animal models and in patients on ART. The goal of this conference is to bring
together an amalgamation of basic and applied scientists working on functional cures and eradication of HIV in
an effort to not only better understand HIV treatment strategies but also the emerging technologies and
approaches that will lead to the eventual eradication of HIV from infected individuals.