Program - HIV Cure Research Center - Fonds HIV Ontrafelen

Preliminary Program 2026

SUNDAY 20 SEPTEMBER 2026
17.30-18.00	Registration
	OPENING EU2CURE HIV SYMPOSIUM Chaired by: Linos Vandekerckhove and Sarah Gerlo
18.00-18.30	Opening ceremony Sarah Gerlo and Linos Vandekerckhove, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
18.30-19.00	Plenary I: CAR-T cell therapy towards an HIV Cure Steven Deeks, University of California, San Francisco, USA
19.00-19.30	Plenary II: Building an EU2Cure network: progress made over the last two years Casper Rokx, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
19.30-21.00	Opening reception

MONDAY 21 SEPTEMBER 2026
	SESSION 1 – THE VIRAL LANDSCAPE Chaired by: tbd
08.30-09.00	Plenary III: Chromatin structure and epigenetic regulation of gene expression in relation to innate antiviral immunity Musa Mhlanga, Radboudumc and Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
09.00-09.25	Immune mechanisms of HIV-1 persistence Mathias Lichterfeld, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, Boston, United States
09.25-09.50	Chromosomal accessibility and HIV-1 integration Marina Lusic, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
09.50-10.15	Silencing HIV: Rethinking the Path to a Cure Melanie Ott, University of California San Francisco (UCSF), California, USA
10.15-10.45	Break
	SESSION 2 - CELLULAR AND TISSUE RESERVOIRS Chaired by: tbd
10.50-11.15	Delineating the germinal center cellular and molecular landscape in HIV Constantinos Petrovas, University Hospital of Lausanne, CHUV, Lausanne, Switzerland
11.15-11.40	Dissecting transcriptionally active HIV reservoir Alexander Pasternak, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
11.40-12.05	HIV reservoir in the brain Mary Kearney, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Frederick, USA
12.05-12.15	Abstract 01 - tbd tbd
12.15-12.25	Abstract 02 - tbd tbd
12.25-13.40	Lunch and Postersession 1
	SESSION 3 - THE LIFESPAN OF HIV Chaired by: tbd
13.45-14.15	Plenary IV: How to keep your body in good shape Eric Verdin, Buck Institute for Research on Aging, Novato, USA
14.15-14.40	HIV persistence in children Nicolas Chomont, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Canada
14.40-15.05	HIV, inflammation, and aging Peter Hunt, University of California, San Francisco, USA
15.05-15.15	Abstract 03 - tbd tbd
15.15-15.25	Abstract 04- tbd tbd
15.25-15.55	Break
16.00-16.25	tbd Hangfei Qi
	SESSION 4: VIRAL AND CELLULAR DRIVERS OF RESERVOIR SIZE AND REBOUND Chaired by: tbd
16.25-16.50	HIV persistence in people who received bNAbs Katie Fisher, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
16.50-17.15	tbd Susan Pereira Ribeiro, Emory University, Atlanta, USA

TUESDAY 22 SEPTEMBER 2026
	SESSION 5 - INNATE IMMUNITY Chaired by: tbd
08.30-09.00	Plenary V: Leveraging Innate Immunity Michael Gale, University of Minnesota, Minnesota, USA
09.00-09.25	Sex Differences and Innate Immunity in HIV Reservoir Maintenance Xu Yu, Ragon Institute of Mass General Brigham, MIT and Harvard, USA
09.25-09.50	NK signaling as mediator for reservoir control Asier Sáez‑Cirión, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
09.50-10.00	Abstract 05 – tbd tbd
10.00-10.10	Abstract 06 – tbd tbd
10.10-10.40	Break
	SESSION 6 - ADAPTIVE IMMUNITY Chaired by: tbd
10.45-11.10	Virus-specific T cell compartmentalization across lymphoid organs Marcus Buggert, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
11.10-11.35	CD8+ T cell functional capacity towards control Appay Victor, University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
11.35-12.00	Dynamic antigen expression and cytotoxic T cell resistance in HIV reservoir clones Brad Jones, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, USA
12.00-12.10	Abstract 07 - tbd tbd
12.10-12.20	Abstract 08 - tbd tbd
12.20-13.35	Lunch and Postersession 2
	SESSION 7 - TARGETTED THERAPY AND MECHANISMS OF CONTROL Chaired by: tbd
13.40-14.05	Reservoir control in LoViRet and IciStem Maria Salgado, IrsiCaixa AIDS Research Institute & ICREA, Barcelona, Spain
14.05-14.30	Viral control in NHP Guido Silvestri, Emory University, Emory, USA
14.30-14.45	1, 2 and counting: the Berlin patients Christian Gaebler, Berlin Center for HIV Cure (BeCURE), Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany
14.45-15.00	Patient 60 Ashish Sharma, Emory University, Atlanta, USA
15.00-15.15	Oslo Patient Marius Trøseid, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
15.15-15.45	Break
	SESSION 8 – CENTRAL REGULATION AND HOST ENVIRONMENT IMPORTANT FOR ANTIVIRAL RESPONSES Chaired by: tbd
15.50-16.15	Rejuvenating hematopoiesis for control of cancer and HIV Thomas Höfer, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
16.15-16.40	Bile acid mediators of control Rafick-Pierre Sekaly, Emory University, Atlanta, USA
16.40-16.50	Abstract 09 – tbd tbd
16.50-17.00	Abstract 10 – tbd tbd
17.00-17.30	Satellite Symposium tbd
19.00-22.00	Speakers dinner

WEDNESDAY 23 SEPTEMBER 2026
	SESSION 9 - mRNA-BASED APPROACHES TOWARDS A CURE Chaired by: tbd
08.30-08.55	Reservoir-targeted latency reversal and passive antibody delivery: mRNA approaches to an HIV cure Edward Kreider, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA
08.55-09.20	Immunomodulatory mRNA-LNP strategies Michael Betts, University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, USA
	SESSION 10 - CURE EFFORTS: FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES Chaired by: tbd
09.20-10.00	Funding opportunities through EU programs tbd
10.00-10.30	Break
	SESSION 11 - CURE EFFORTS: PUBLISHING OPPORTUNITIES Chaired by: tbd
10.35-10.50	Publishing opportunities tbd
10.50-11.05	Publishing opportunities tbd
	SESSION 12 - PROGRESS IN CURE STUDIES & IMMUNIE MODULATION Chaired by: tbd
11.05-11.30	Potential mechanisms of viral control following an immunologic intervention with analytical treatment interruption in early treated African women Thumbi Ndung’u, Africa Health Research Institute, Durban, South Africa
11.30-11.55	RIO Study arm B: results of ATI II viral control Tamara Elliott, Imperial College London, London, UK
11.55-12.05	Prize for best poster presentations & closing remarks Linos Vandekerckhove, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium