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The Institute of Human Virology at
the University of Maryland School of Medicine hosted the 14th Annual
International Meeting in Baltimore from October 14 – October 17, 2012. Dr.
Robert C. Gallo led the IHV meeting, which brought together world-renowned
virologists and HIV researchers to discuss breaking scientific advances for better
treatment and prevention of both HIV and viruses causing cancer.
“The meeting encourages scientists
to share the latest breakthroughs in the fight against HIV and
virally-associated cancers,” stated Gallo. More than 80 leading virologists and
international researchers made presentations during the meeting, including scientists
from the IHV and the US National Institutes of Health, in addition to leading
African, American, Asian, European, and Russian research institutions. Keynote
lectures featured Dr. Harold Varmus, director of the National Cancer Institute,
and Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and
Infectious Diseases. Also, three leading scientists— NCI researcher Dr. Thomas
Waldmann, Chinese leader Dr. Yi Zeng, and Johns Hopkins professor Dr. John
Bartlett— received Lifetime Achievement Awards for their exceptional
contributions to the science of virology.
Highlights of the meeting sessions
included a special symposium on the state of HIV in Africa, noting the
exceptional results achieved by PEPFAR and encouraging ongoing funding for this
vital initiative to treat and prevent HIV around the world. Other highlights
presented included: a review of new techniques in the clinical science of
antiviral therapy; revealing new laboratory research promoting a deeper
understanding of HIV origins and transmission mechanisms; breakthroughs in the
structural biology of immunity and vaccines; a full-day group of presentations
on the encouraging progress of research into a preventive HIV vaccine; and the
latest updates on the connections between viruses and human cancers, a field
that has grown significantly since Gallo and his laboratory colleagues
pioneered studies of the first oncogenic human retrovirus (HTLV-1), with a lead
lecture from Varmus and presentations from NCI, Duke, and Northwestern researchers,
as well as institutions in Italy and Japan.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
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