Aiming to provide an interactive forum to the researchers who have been engaged in addressing the cutting edge researchable issues such as mode and mechanism of HIV infection and transmission, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) will hold a four-day International Conference on “Emerging Frontiers and Challenges in HIV/AIDS Research” in Mumbai from February 5 to 8, 2011.

The conference aims to provide an interactive forum to the researchers who have been engaged in addressing the cutting edge researchable issues such as mode and mechanism of HIV infection and transmission; resistance to the pathogen as well as anti-HIV drugs; disease progression; and development of efficacious strategies for prevention, diagnosis and treatment of HIV/AIDS. Special sessions on the policy-making and advocacy for the programmes on control and management of HIV/AIDS will be the other highlights of this international meet.

The meeting is expected to create an excellent convergence of the perspectives of those with specific interests in fundamental, clinical and socio-behavioural research on HIV/AIDS. The deliberations during the conference will help in translating theoretical advances into the clinical practices and contribute towards deaccelerating the pace of this pandemic.

The conference is considered significant as the number of people living with HIV worldwide has grown to alarming proportions in recent years with more than 25 million people including adults and newborns having succumbed to AIDS till date. AIDS-related illnesses are projected to cause significant premature mortality in the coming decades.