International AIDS Society 2023

The 12th annual conference of the International AIDS Society (IAS) on HIV science takes place July 23–26 in Brisbane, Australia, and virtually. This year’s conference will offer the latest on vaccine and cure science, research updates on broadly neutralizing antibodies, important discussions on trial design in the era of PrEP, the potential of community-led models of care and the importance of integrating services for HIV and sexual and reproductive health (SRH). AVAC and partners will be there! Read on for an overview.

Just ahead of the conference, UNAIDS released their annual state of the epidemic report, The Path that Ends AIDS. The report charts a path that can end AIDS, and documents important progress, but challenges remain. Among them, global resources for HIV are marking another year of decline. With anti-LGTBQIA+ legal actions increasing in the US and in several African countries and reduced resources, efforts to end the epidemic will fail. See AVAC’s new graphic on the issue.

IAS Resources

• Use AVAC’s Roadmap to find sessions where prevention, pandemic preparedness and the larger issues of global health equity are in the spotlight. You can download it as a sortable spreadsheet or PDF.
• Follow events in real time, AVAC will offer comments and updates on Twitter, and our friends at NAM/AIDSMAP will be reporting throughout the conference. Join the conversation using the conference hashtag #IAS2023.

Satellites, Sessions and Panels Featuring AVAC and Partners

All times listed are local in Brisbane, Australia. Click for a time zone converter.

Sunday, July 23

• Taking prevention to the next level: Packaging PrEP with primary health care services as a pathway to achieving 2030 HIV prevention and universal health coverage goals — satellite session, 11:30-12:30 pm AEST, Plaza Auditorium Channel 4
• Regaining lost ground for HIV prevention: Acting on lessons learned from oral PrEP scale-up new PrEP method mix — satellite session, 1:00-2:30 pm AEST, Plaza Auditorium Channel 4

Tuesday, July 25

• Next Gen HIV Prevention research: Clinical Trials in an era of highly effective standards of care — satellite session, 6:30-8:00 pm AEST, Plaza Ballroom Channel 3
• bnAbs: From prevention to cure — satellite session, 6:30-8:00 pm AEST, Boulevard Auditorium Channel 7

Wednesday, July 26

• Our bodies, our science: Empowering and promoting community engagement and practices in science — symposium session 17, 10:30-11:30 am AEST, Plaza Terrace Room/Channel 2
• Immune responses critical for viral control and approaches to harness them in vivo — Symposium session 20, 10:30-11:30 am AEST, Auditorium/Channel 7

Poster Presentations

• No Data No More: A tool to end the exclusion of trans and gender-diverse people in HIV research
• Raising New Voices in HIV Cure Research: A review of an advocacy-for-cure academy and grant program
• The Value of Measuring Outcomes of HIV Advocacy: Utilising a novel and participatory approach for advocacy evaluation
• HIV Prevention Research & Development Investments 2001-2021: Shifting investment priorities fund innovation in a challenging global health landscape
• Revolution of Transgender Health Programming: The role of transgender activists in Health programming for Malawi

While many will be gathering in Australia for the IAS conference, the 27th International Society for Sexually Transmitted Diseases Research (ISSTDR) is happening in Chicago at the same time – and AVAC will be there, too. Stay tuned for an update later this week for AVAC’s STI Roadmap and dedicated STI conference page. Advocates, implementers and researchers in both fields have much work to do together.

Watch this space for further updates. Hope to see you in the halls!