Hiv Reservoirs Cure Initiative Uplifted After Croi

By Author: Cara Sally
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Alain Lafeuillade, a French doctor and researcher working on HIV for more than 20 years, has a dream: to be able one day to prescribe his patients a definite HIV cure.

While antiretroviral therapy has significantly improved life expectancy and quality of life in HIV-infected individuals having access to it, it does not eradicate HIV from the body. The virus persists in some cells, the ‘HIV reservoirs', hidden in different anatomic compartments. Finding a HIV infection cure implies a better understanding of the mechanisms maintaining these reservoirs.

Apart from conducting clinical trials in his Medical Center, Dr Alain Lafeuillade has been at the origin of several initiatives aimed at increasing worldwide scientific collaboration on this topic. First, he launched in 2003 the ‘International Workshop on HIV Persistence, Reservoirs & Eradication Strategies' is welcoming every two-year over 200 scientists actively involved in HIV reservoirs research. Also referred as the ‘Saint Martin Workshop', this one is recognized as the authority meeting in the field. The next edition is scheduled December ...
... 6-9, 2011.
Then, Alain Lafeuillade is Chairman of the ‘International Symposium on HIV & Emerging Infectious Diseases (ISHEID)' to be held in Marseille, France, May 23-25, 2012, with a main topic: ‘Searching for an HIV cure'. Compared with the workshop, the ISHEID is devoted to a broader medical audience.
Finally, to promote constantly scientific exchanges between professionals working on HIV reservoirs, Alain Lafeuillade launched last October a web portal for the ‘Research Community on HIV Reservoirs and Eradication Strategies, which is definitely a success.
‘The Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infection [CROI] is the best opportunity for us to meet and talk together', Dr Lafeuillade said, referring to other scientists actively involved with him in these initiatives, ‘we have planned a few meetings on this occasion, in parallel of the Conference, to work on our projects'.

About the HIV Persistence & Reservoirs Workshop: Fifth Edition: December 6-9, 2011, Saint Martin (FWI): http://www.informedhorizons.com/persistence2011/

About the ISHEID: May 23-25, 2012, Marseille, France: http://www.isheid.com

Contact: Alain Lafeuillade MD, PhD, Chief Department of Infectious Diseases, General Hospital, Toulon, France; Ph: +33-4-94616340; lafeuillade@orange.fr; HIV Reservoirs Cure Strategies CROI;HIV Cure Strategic Plan.http://www.informedhorizons.com/persistence2011/