In advance of the 24th International AIDS Conference, AIDS 2022, which is being held in Montreal from July 29 to August 2 under the auspices of the IAS - International AIDS Society, the Canadian Consortium for HIV Cure Research (CanCURE) and its host institution, IRCM, are pleased to participate in the organization of the pre-conference Trajectories Towards a Cure for HIV: Research and Priorities, which will feature scientists from around the world, as well as patients, partners and stakeholders in the field, on July 28.
Focusing on the partnership between people living with HIV and researchers, and integrating scientific, translational and community aspects, this series of conferences and exchanges will be distinguished by its approach centered on the avenues for curing this disease, the keys to which still elude science, even though it affects nearly 38 million people around the world.
‘’The world of science cannot avoid pursuing the search for therapeutic avenues leading to a cure for people living with HIV," explains Dr. Eric A. Cohen, virologist and leading researcher in the field at the IRCM, who also leads the CanCure consortium. Even though being HIV positive is no longer synonymous with receiving a death sentence thanks to antiretroviral treatment, the burden of the virus that persists is heavy and multiple, both for individuals and for society, particularly in emerging countries. Fortunately, we have made great strides in understanding the mechanisms that drive HIV persistence and are confident that we will overcome the major obstacles to remission of this infection within a few years.’’
The work of Dr. Cohen and his laboratory is focused on finding the HIV reservoirs that persist in the body, which are virus niches ready to re-emerge when anti-HIV treatments are stopped, preventing complete remission.
The July 28 stand-alone event is affiliated with the International AIDS Conference and is being held in partnership with the Canadian Consortium for HIV Cure Research, CanCURE, and the AIDS and Infectious Diseases Network of the Fonds de Recherche du Québec -Santé (FRQ-S) and the IAS.
