Toulon, France, March 06, 2011 -- HIV is a disease that caught the world off guard and took many lives, leaving scientists in shock, trying to find a cure. With HIV persistence being such a major challenge that must be overcome, today's scientists are still burning to find a cure. Every 2 years, scientists from around the world gather together in Saint Martin, West Indies to research a cure, just as they have done since 2003 when the workshop began. In between, they meet online to discuss their findings from research and to bring together their minds to tackle this global epidemic. The bi-annual meeting, known as ‘HIV Persistence, Reservoirs and Eradication Workshop' has been a force for change that combines the intellectual capital of scientists from fields such as molecular biology, virology and immunology. With 200 of the world's top researchers in attendance, HIV topics are discussed and invaluable networking is done so that these world class academics have a chance to bring the full force of their combined prowess to bear on a disease that still eludes medical science today. This is something special because it has been organized by those who have made truly significant advances in HIV research over the past decade and they make no compromises on putting together the most effective event possible.
By working in this fashion to eliminate the HIV virus from Earth, these dedicated scientists and clinical researchers are pushing for a cure in a way few others do. They know that HIV reservoirs are continuing to survive even despite the most advanced treatments aimed at suppressing HIV's effects. By pushing to explore research outside of what has already been done, these individuals are accelerating the quest for the cure and doing so without political aims or to generate income for themselves in the process. They are passionate about finding a way to break down HIV persistence, dedicating their time and energies to dodging the pitfalls of bureaucracy and social club time wasting that affects many other organizations today. At the workshop and in the periods in between, they work to keep a tight focus on the core goals that they have set for themselves and their work, eschewing the distractions that would only end up slowing down the achieving of the goal.
Thanks to these incredible men and women, research in HIV remains focused and highly effective. In a world where true HIV eradication would definitely be a dream come true, these are the people who labor behind the scenes to create a change that benefits everyone on the planet. It is highly likely that members of this group will be the ones to discover the strategy that ends HIV once and for all.
Contact: Alain Lafeuillade, General Hospital, Toulon, France. Tel: +33-4-94616340; E-Mail: lafeuillade@orange.fr; Web: http://www.informedhorizons.com/persistence2011/
