2017 Conference on Cell and Gene Therapy for HIV CURE

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle WA

Investigators

Abstract

PROJECT ABSTRACT/SUMMARY A major obstacle to long-term control and cure of HIV has been the persistence of HIV in reservoirs that contain latently infected, resting, and productively infected CD4+ T cells. The single example of cure of HIV has provided evidence that the search for a cure is an achievable goal. Furthermore, the mechanism of cure in this case (transplantation with CCR5-negative cells) emphasizes that cell and gene therapies represent perhaps the most promising approach to cure. Here we propose to host a scientific meeting, the Conference on Cell and Gene Therapy for HIV Cure (CGT4HIVCure), to advance the pursuit of an HIV cure by reviewing the latest cell and gene therapy approaches targeting HIV. The meeting will take place at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, Washington on August 17-18, 2017. Drs. Keith Jerome and Hans-Peter Kiem established the annual CGT4HIVCure meeting in 2014, in order to bring much needed attention to the field. Since that time, we have seen tremendous progress in gene editing technologies such as CRISPR/Cas9 and in clinical applications of cell immunotherapies like CAR T cells. For example, in the most recent recompetition, at least four of the funded Martin Delaney collaboratories included a substantial cell and gene therapy component. Our meeting remains, to the best of our knowledge, the first and only meeting dedicated to development of curative cell and gene therapies for HIV, and will facilitate interactions between these and other investigators. We have been able to attract participation from leading investigators in the field, including Nobel Laureates Drs. Françoise Barré-Sinoussi (2014 Keynote) and David Baltimore (2015 Keynote), Dr. Lawrence Corey (2016 Keynote), and Dr. Jennifer Doudna (2017 Keynote), demonstrating the strong interest and value generated by the meeting. We look forward to building on the success of the first three conferences by inviting HIV and cell and gene therapy researchers, clinicians, young investigators, and trainees, including pre- and post-doctoral fellows, to participate. Scholarships will be available to trainees (postdoctoral fellows and graduate students) as well as to community advocates working in the HIV cure field.