Tenth International Conference on AIDS, Yokohama, August 7-12: Abstract Submission; Scholarship Information

Researchers submitting abstracts to the Tenth International
Conference on AIDS should note that they need to be delivered
(not faxed) to Japan, and arrive no later than February 28,
1994. Because of the international date line, February 28 in
Japan is February 27 in the U.S.

For instructions on submitting abstracts, and the official
forms required, persons in the U.S. can obtain the Second
Announcement and Call for Abstracts from Gil-Kenes Travel,
Congress Department, 800/223-3855, fax 215/568-0696. Gil-
Kenes Travel is the official agent for the Conference in the
U.S. Note that persons submitting abstracts to the Conference
must also register at that time.

A travel and hotel package is available through Gil-Kenes
Travel, at the numbers above. Alternatively, hotel
accommodations can be arranged through Japan Travel Bureau,
Inc., International Travel Division, Convention Center (Ref.
CD100757-002), phone 81-3-3276-7885, fax 3276-7806 or 3271-
4134. For more information, see the Second Announcement; and
see the Tenth International Conference brochure from Gil-
Kenes Travel.

At least two scholarship programs have been announced:

(1) "The Organizing Committee has devised scholarship
programs to facilitate the participation of persons from:
NGOs, developing countries, those with HIV/AIDS. For details
and a scholarship application form, please write to the
Secretariat specifying your needs." The address is:
Secretariat for the Tenth International Conference on AIDS-
International Conference on STD, c/o Congress Corporation,
Namiki Bldg., 5-3 Kamiyama-cho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150, Japan.
Phone 81-3-3466-5812, fax 3466-5929.

(2) Information about a separate U.S. sponsorship program for
persons with HIV can be obtained from: Christina Lewis,
National Association of People with AIDS, 1413 K St., NW, 8th
floor, Washington, DC 20005, 202/898-0414, fax 202/898-0435.

The conference registration fee goes up after March 31. Press
registration is free. For more information, see the Second
Announcement.

After the Yokohama meeting, the International Conference will
change from annual to every two years, so there will be no
conference in 1995.

Comment

We expect this conference to be much like previous ones, only
more expensive. It will be worth attending if possible, but
not essential. AIDS TREATMENT NEWS is going, but we can only
send one person this year.

We believe that the important progress in future
international collaboration and information dissemination
will be through computer communication technology -- which is
more effective and far less expensive than sending people to
meetings. Computers will never replace meetings entirely, but
will make those which do occur be more productive. [Note: See
article below on AIDS information already available through
computer bulletin board systems.]


****** New York City, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Sherman Oaks,
Stony Brook: Important Protease Trial Recruiting

A trial of the Merck protease inhibitor, code-named L-735,524
(L-524), is being conducted in the five cities above.

Volunteers must be asymptomatic, with a T-helper count under
500, and must be p24 positive (at least 25 pg/ml). They will
be randomly assigned to one of three treatment arms: low dose
L-524, high dose L-524, or AZT. The trial will last for 24
weeks. "If L-735,524 is found to be well-tolerated and shows
biologic activity, participants who complete the study may
have the opportunity to continue in an extension to the
study." Sixty volunteers are being sought.

For more information, contact the site near you:

* Bellevue Hospital Clinical Research Unit, New York
University, 212/263-6565, clinic coordinator Mary Ann
Kiernan, R.N.

* University of Pennsylvania, Infectious Diseases Section,
Department of Medicine, 215/662-6932, clinic coordinators
Heidi Lehman, R.N., or Susan Hansen-Flaschen, R.N.

* Pitt Treatment Evaluation Unit, University of Pittsburgh,
412/647-8125, clinic coordinator Nancy Mantz, R.N.

* Pacific Oaks Medical Group, Department of Research and
Scientific Investigation, 818/906-6279, clinic coordinator
Jackie Bennette, R.N.

* AIDS Treatment and Evaluation Unit, University Hospital,
State University of New York at Stony Brook, 516/444-1658,
clinic coordinator Ruth Ann Burk, R.N.

Comment

Protease inhibitors, a new kind of anti-HIV drug, have
generated more interest among researchers than any other kind
of potential HIV treatment. A number of companies are
developing protease inhibitors, which are expected to begin
large-scale clinical trials in 1994. L-524 is one of the
leading drugs of this class.