Follow up Roundtable Discussion: Recommendations for a Specific Research Agenda

Background:

The Forum was a co-sponsor of the 3rd International Workshop on Structured Treatment Interruptions, held on March 22-24, 2002 in Montreal, Canada. Other sponsors were: FAIR, Project Inform, TAG, and GMHC. Approximately 80 scientists and community advocates gathered to present and discuss new data and issues surrounding treatment interruptions used in various settings, focusing on specific issues surrounding treatment interruptions. The following topics were discussed: Therapeutic Immunization and Immune Modulation, Immune Escape, STI and Drug Resistance in Salvage Patients, STI and Drug Resistance in Virologically Suppressed Patients and Drug-Sparing Strategies and Toxicity Reduction.

The Forum sponsored a follow-up smaller Roundtable to discuss and recommend a specific research agenda for treatment interruptions.

Objectives:

The Roundtable discussion focused on three topics:

• Analytic uses of STI's in the development of immune-based treatments and/or strategies,
• Drug sparing strategies,
• Patients with multi-drug resistant virus.

Three questions were posed for each topic: What research gaps exist and which questions need answering? What collaborations, new initiatives or other activities are necessary for this agenda to move forward? What funding mechanisms neet to be put into place for the agenda to move forward?

Status

The full workshop report will be posted on the Forum's and other sponsor's websites shortly. A report of the follow-up Roundtable is currently being prepared.

Project Specific Sponsoring: The STI Workshop in Montreal was sponsored by Abbott Laboratories, Agouron, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Forum for Collaborative HIV Research, Gilead Pharmaceuticals, GlaxoSmithKline, Roche Pharmaceuticals, Treatment Action Group, ViroLogic.
A grant from Chiron Corporation funded the follow-up Roundtable.