5th Retroviruses Conference in Chicago
The 5th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections, the largest AIDS research meeting in the United States, will take place February 1-5 in Chicago. Since we could not adequately cover the meeting and also produce a newsletter in the same week, we decided to publish this issue early and take more time for our coverage of the meeting. Some Web sites may have daily reports; see below.At the conference we will be looking for information on:
New drugs in early human trials, for example PMPA and FTC. (T-20 will not be presented at this meeting.)
More information about the antiretrovirals now in expanded access and most likely to be approved in 1998: efavirenz (DMP-266), abacavir (1592), and adefovir dipivoxil (bis-POM PMEA).
Longer followup from ongoing trials of combinations of currently approved antiretrovirals (efficacy and side effects).
Current medical thinking on what to do after virological failure of initial treatments.
Any news on the observation that patients have done better than expected clinically, while on certain treatments which no longer fully suppress the virus.
Drug resistance (not only the viral mutation mechanism which is most talked about, but also entirely different ways that drugs can lose antiretroviral effectiveness).
Hydroxyurea (there is a whole section on it at this meeting).
Immune recovery which occurs (or does not occur) after long-term viral suppression.
Immune markers, immune-based therapies, and vaccines.
Changing patterns of opportunistic infections when effective antiretroviral treatments are in use.
Results of treating primary HIV infection.
Potential mechanisms of action for new drugs (zinc fingers, chemokine/receptor interactions, various gene therapies, etc.)
HIV-related malignancies.
Vitamins and nutrition (but there is little of this at the Retroviruses conferences).
After the conference there will be public updates in some cities to explain the most important presentations. Check with AIDS service or medical organizations in your area.
For in-depth information during the conference or later, check the World Wide Web, including: http://www.retroconference.org (the official site); 
http://www.projinf.org (Project Inform); 
(website no longer available) (HealthCare Communications Group); http://www.natap.org (new site of National AIDS Treatment Advocacy Project).
Note that the official site usually has the published abstracts of all the presentations (including the late breakers); it will also have audio lectures (which you listen to through the Internet, sometimes viewing the slides as well) of keynote talks, review-type lectures, and symposia--but usually not of the "slide" sessions or poster sessions, where new data are presented. The unofficial sites have summaries by AIDS experts and medical writers of any presentations the authors consider most important.
