As I flew out from Stockholm to Denver last Wednesday it occurred to me how far we had come in HIV Cure research since the International AIDS Society held the first HIV Cure workshop at the AIDS 2010 conference in Vienna.
I’ve been in Stockholm this week speaking on how a group of cancer drugs called HDAC inhibitors can activate latent HIV at an HIV Cure conference organised by the Karolinska Institutet and all of us who attended have come away feeling energised and encouraged.
All the portents were there – brilliant sunshine in über sophisticated and eco-friendly Stockholm all week and a venue steeped in history and tradition. The conference was held in the Nobel Forum where the recipients of the Nobel Prize in Medicine give their talk each year – it was a privilege to speak there this week and inspiring at the same time.
The Karolinska Institutet has of course, been a major leader in the HIV response from the very early days of the epidemic. Yet it is also fair to say that until very recently the organisation had not considered HIV cure as a research priority. This week’s meeting was arranged to generate interest in the field and to move it higher up the organisation’s agenda. I think the fact that, Anders Hamsten, President of the Karolinska Institutet, addressed the meeting was certainly a good sign. So too was the program which was notable for its very impressive line up of speakers from the US and Europe including Steve Deeks, David Margolis, Bob Siliciano, and Christine Rouzioux. Nice too to see my Australian colleague Sarah Palmer presenting. I’m proud that Australia is playing a significant part in the search for an HIV Cure.
Sharon Lewin
Huffington Post
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