Highlights of the 15th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections. Basic science summary.

Abstract

The scientific advances made in the year leading up to the 15th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections were overshadowed, to some extent, by setbacks in the AIDS vaccine research arena and in particular, the failure of the Merck STEP trial. Arguably, these disappointments were offset by strong advances that were being made in basic science and pathogenesis. In particular, recent discoveries into cellular factors that influence virus-host cell interplay and new insights into the mechanisms of viral pathogenesis were highlighted at the meeting. These research discoveries paint an optimistic picture regarding the development of new strategies to combat HIV and AIDS.