Morning Conference Day 2

Lots of meetings...lots of sessions...This is GREAT! They sessions start promptly at 8:30 and they end around 6:30 (yes, I did say 6:30, and that's PM). WOW! These people are really at the top of their class. There are people from NIH, WHO, UNAIDS, UNGASS, Emory University, UTMBC, Harvard, UNC, just to mention a few, And they span the gamet of Directors to post doctoral (MD and PhD) attendees. I had the opportunity to sit in meeting with Drs. Eric Huner and Carlos DelRio following the presentation by Dr. Michael Cohen entitled "HIV transmission: Redux 2008 and the lessons learned from the NIH Center for Vaccine immunology (CHAVI). What an academic electrifying experience.
The following sessions were veritable intellecutal and scientific delicacies for a mind as mine, as I swirled molecular configurations of alternative models for vaccines and microbicides in relation to antibodies and mucosal transmission.The lectures then proceeded to further elucidate and tintillate my mind with pox vector vaccines, t-cell vaccines, and neutralizing antibodies and variations of antimcirobial combinatoin for neutralizing the HIV virus.
After lunch ( and they do take long lunches with a a siesta break), we continued the veritable feast of information in discussions of epidemiology and evaluatoin of HIV transmission. The most interesting session was on evaluating HIV DNA provirus nested PCR techniques for early diagnosis in children and elderly, which proved what is already documented for adults, in that RT-PCR is standard for verification of the HIV virus across the world. And, if used as such, would eliminate the need for repetitive testing of newborns and toddlers (as well as elderly with lower blood counts) decreasing the algorithm for absolute positive to two tests only.
If this is still not enough, after an early evening break, we re-convened for discussions about Modeling of HIV transmission, where the theory of concurrency was discussed and proven by far an incredibly accurate tool for estimating HIV transmission among related, inter-related and even non-related cohorts. Following this session, the Markov model approach was discussed as it relates to timely diagnosis reducing mortality. And we finished off the evening reviewing cost-effectiveness of the ever impending TB epidemic using a well-respected QuantiFERON TB Gold assay. Thanks Dr. Martin for all the time you spend reviewing assays and PCR...this really came in handy understanding all the technical information and putting it into perspective clinically.