Sydney to Host the 2012 International Microbicides Conference

22 February 2012 (Sydney, Australia) The biennial International Microbicides Conference is the premier gathering for those working on new approaches to HIV prevention and this year's conference in Sydney, Australia will place a strong emphasis on the role of community in both research and implementation of scientific findings. The conference will take place from April 15-18 at the Sydney Exhibition and Conference Centre located on the Darling Harbour waterfront.

Eighteen months ago, when the conference last convened in Pittsburgh, there was no evidence that topical microbicides or oral pre-exposure prophylaxis could prevent HIV infection. Since then, a number of trials have offered hope despite some disappointment, illustrating just how dynamic HIV prevention research is, thus the theme "From Discovery to Delivery." Attendees will hear from the leading experts in the HIV prevention field from Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and Australia. The program will also feature pre-conference workshops, symposia, debates and skills-building sessions.

Plenary speakers and topics include:

    Professor Salim Abdool Karim, Pro Vice Chancellor (Research) at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and Director of CAPRISA - Centre for the AIDS Program of Research, South Africa - "CAPRISA 004 two years on: Lessons and implications"
    Professor Helen Rees, Executive Director, Reproductive Health Research Unit, University of Witwatersrand, South Africa - "Contraception and HIV"
    Dr. Connie Celum, Professor of Global Health and Medicine at University of Washington, USA - "State of the evidence from trials, what we know and what we still need to know"
    Dr. Peter Cherutich, Head of HIV Prevention, National AIDS/STD Control Programme, Kenya - "Implementing an effective HIV prevention strategy on a national scale"
    Dr. Carl Dieffenbach, Director, Division of AIDS, National Institute of Allergic and Infectious Diseases - "The future of microbicides and PrEP in the broader context of HIV prevention research"
    Professor Richard Hayes, Professor of Epidemiology & International Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, UK - "A vision for the future of prevention trials in HIV"
    Dr. Betsy Herold, Professor, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, USA - "The basic science of HIV transmission, and implications for the design of effective topical microbicides and oral chemoprophylaxis"
    Ms Milly Katana (MPH, MA, MBA), Public Health Specialist, John Snow Incorporated, Uganda - "Making access a reality for all those in need"
    Dr Joseph Romano, NWJ Group, USA - "The barriers and incentives in the pathway to developing a usable new technology for HIV prevention"
    Dr Frits van Griensven, US Centers for Disease Control, Thailand - "The role of new prevention technologies in concentrated HIV epidemics"
    Dr Debrework Zewdie, Deputy Executive Director, The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, Switzerland - "Who pays? Global resourcing for new HIV prevention technology"

To view the full program, please go to: https://microbicides2012.org/default2.asp?active_page_id=207

Symposia

Delegates and journalists are invited to attend any of the following symposia which will be held during the conference:

    Hormonal contraception and HIV transmission
    Multiple Prevention Technologies (MPTs)
    What's love got to do with it: pleasure and biomedical prevention
    Beyond the trial: how do microbicides fit into the lives of women
    What is needed to make PrEP an effective prevention strategy in MSM
    Biology of mucosal transmission
    The vaginal microbiome, bacterial vaginosis and innate immunity
    PK/PD animal models
    Good participatory practice in trials
    Non-ARV microbicides
    Measuring adherence in microbicide and PrEP trials
    Biomedical prevention in concentrated HIV epidemics
    Standard of care in future trials.
    New developments in delivery technology
    Rectal microbicides
    Making sense of the PrEP trial results
    Criminalisation and its intersection with HIV risk behavior

Pre Conference Workshops

Delegates and journalists are also invited to attend the pre conference workshops held on Sunday, 15 April:

    The Mucosal Biology of Sexually Transmitted Infection: Translating Basic Science Into Novel HIV Interventions
    Building our Knowledge and Capacity for Effective Advocacy Around HIV Prevention Research and Implementation

Advocates' Corner

The M2012 Advocates' Corner is an interactive, participatory area where delegates representing community, advocacy, and civil society can come to exchange ideas, network, build solidarity, relax, and socialize. The International Rectal Microbicides Advocates (IRMA) will coordinate this effort, along with AVAC, New HIV Vaccine and Microbicide Advocacy Society (NHVMAS), Global Campaign for Microbicides (GCM) and the African Microbicides Advocacy Group (AMAG). Highlights of the advocacy effort at M2012 will include a reception featuring the release of the Project ARM - Africa for Rectal Microbicides strategy report - and to honor this year's winner of the Omolulu Falobi Award.

Media Registration

Complimentary registration is extended to all accredited journalists on a space-available basis. To take advantage of this, reporters wishing to attend the M 2012 must apply for media credentials and register to attend the conference in advance. To register, please visit this url: https://microbicides2012.org/default2.asp?active_page_id=199

Unable to attend the conference?

If you're interested in the information coming out of M2012, but are unable to make it to the conference in person, please send an email to Petrana.Lorenz@ashm.org.au expressing your interest. We will be publishing a range of materials on the website including press releases, photos, speaker bios and multi-media packages direct from the conference itself. Email us your details now and we'll make sure you are notified the instant these are available.

Source: 2012 International Microbicides Conference