HIV 2015: Using Phylogenetics to Enhance the HIV Response, New York, June 4, 2015


A discussion meeting presented by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the Microbiology & Infectious Diseases Discussion Group at the New York Academy of Sciences on the use of phylogenetics to enhance HIV response.

Rapid advances in molecular genetics and bio-informatics allow more and better data on the phylogeny of HIV to be collected. The genetic diversity among HIV strains within individual patients, communities and globally allows the dynamics of transmission and evolution of the virus to be studied in ever greater detail. The implications for drug resistance, vaccine development, transmission networks and evaluation of prevention interventions are beginning to be understood. The challenge is to translate the new science into more effective ways to prioritize the HIV response and to monitor the impact of different intervention approaches. This meeting brings together scientists, policy makers, and international organizations dedicated to advancing our scientific knowledge of HIV and translating that information into the most effective programs for reducing transmission of the virus.

Organizers

Tulio De Oliveira, PhD, Wellcome Trust Africa Centre for Health and Population Studies, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Ade Fakoya, BA, MB BS, DTM&H, FRCP(UK), The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria

Morgane Rolland, PhD,United States Military HIV Research Program

Sonya Dougal, PhD,The New York Academy of Sciences

Peter Godfrey-Faussett, BA, MBBS, DTM&H, FRCP(UK), UNAIDS, Geneva, Switzerland


Speakers

William A. Blattner,, MD, MS, University of Maryland, College Park

Jonathan M. Carlson, PhD, Microsoft Research

Tulio De Oliveira, PhD, Wellcome Trust Africa Centre for Health and Population Studies, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Ade Fakoya, MB, BS, DTM&H, FRCP (UK), The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria

Christophe Fraser, PhD, Imperial College

Ayesha BM Kharsany, PhD, Center for the AIDS Program of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA)

Alexa Oster, MD, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Thomas Quinn, MD, Johns Hopkins University

Morgane Rolland, PhD. US Military HIV Research Program


Panelist

Ralf Jurgens, LLM, PhD, Open Society Foundations


Press coverage:

- Science, 12 June 2015, by John Cohen - Molecular Epidemiology: HIV family trees reveal viral spread.

- UNAIDS, 8 June 2015, Feature story: Understanding HIV through phylogenetic research.

News date: 2015-06-04

Links:

http://www.nyas.org/Events/Detail.aspx?cid=1db34692-7883-4ea0-9231-39386e6a9948


KRISP has been created by the coordinated effort of the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA) and the South African Medical Research Countil (SAMRC).


Location: K-RITH Tower Building
Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine, UKZN
719 Umbilo Road, Durban, South Africa.
Director: Prof. Tulio de Oliveira