M2010 to encompass broader spectrum of HIV prevention research

HIV prevention researchers, policy makers and community advocates from more than 35 countries will be in Pittsburgh, May 22-25 to attend the 2010 International Microbicides Conference (M2010).

Unlike previous meetings, M2010 will encompass a broader spectrum of HIV prevention research and related topics, hence the theme Building Bridges in HIV Prevention. In addition to discussing the latest research on microbicides - substances designed to prevent the sexual transmission of HIV when applied topically on the inside of the rectum or vagina - M2010 will also be a forum for discussions on male circumcision, pre-exposure prophylaxis and vaccines.

The size of the meeting, with about 1,000 participants, will afford media easy access to the field's leading investigators and newsmakers in global health, basic science, behavioral science and clinical trials research. Many of the meeting's participants are working on the front lines of the epidemic in parts of the world hardest hit by HIV and AIDS.

The scientific program includes six invited plenary and state-of-the-art lectures, nine cross-cutting symposia on emerging issues and trends in HIV prevention and more than 500 oral and poster abstract presentations reporting on original research. Among the findings to be presented and topics to be covered at M2010 are:

• Results of the first clinical trial to evaluate the safety of a vaginal microbicide in pregnant women and findings from a large prospective study in seven African countries looking at whether pregnancy can increase the risk of acquiring or transmitting HIV.

• Results of studies looking at the behavioral and biological factors that may help explain why HIV rates are so high among men and women who engage in unprotected receptive anal intercourse. These include studies looking at the effects of different over-the-counter lubricants on HIV risk and research focused on the development of rectal microbicides.

• New research aimed at expanding the pipeline of antiretrovirals (ARVs) for prevention, including results of the first primate study evaluating an integrase inhibitor as a topical microbicide. ARVs are drugs used in the treatment of HIV, and ARV-based prevention approaches are being tested in several ongoing clinical trials, with results of completed trials expected in the coming months. One concern is that these studies all involve the same drug. The challenges and promise of ARV-based strategies are key issues to be discussed.

All sessions will take place at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in downtown Pittsburgh. A staffed press room will be available on site and media briefings will be held each day, with some available by teleconference.