Microbicides 2004 Microbicides 200428-31 March 2004, Hilton London MetropoleThe conference42 million men, women and children worldwide were living with HIV by the end of December 2002 (source: UNAIDS), including five million newly-infected during that year alone. Another 45 million people will become infected between 2002 and 2010, unless the current transmission rates can be vastly reduced. Of the 42 million, 29.4 million live in sub-Saharan Africa and 58% of them are women. Not only are women more susceptible to HIV infection, many are powerless to insist on the use of condoms or other methods of protecting themselves. In this context, and with the knowledge that an effective HIV vaccine is unlikely to be available for several years, the need for an effective topical microbicide grows ever more urgent. 2004 should prove to be a landmark year in the field of microbicide development as the first Phase III trials of novel products are due to start – the next step along the road to making a microbicide available to the millions worldwide in desperate need of protection.The aims of the Microbicides 2004 conference are to:Report novel or innovative work in the microbicides fieldProvide updates on recent microbicides research, divided into three tracks: basic science, clinical science, and behavioural science (including public health and the microbicide marketplace)Provide a forum for the discussion of new developments in microbicide research including ethical, clinical, behavioural and methodological issuesPresent opportunities for knowledge-sharing between microbicide researchers, public-health workers and advocacy organisations.There will be an opening ceremony on the evening of Sunday 28 March at which politicians, policy makers and the international media are expected. The conference will run for a full three days, each of which will contain:Scientific overviews and presentations with plenary sessions, invited lecturers and presentations of original researchWorkshops to review issues unique to microbicides such as trial design and outcome measures, and ethical issues in the clinical trials of microbicidesPoster sessions. Focus on LondonFollowing the successful Microbicides conferences in Washington in 2000 and Antwerp in 2002, March 2004 sees the focus move to London.The venue is the Hilton Metropole Hotel, two minutes by taxi from Paddington station and the Heathrow Express, with a journey time from the airport of 15 minutes. The hotel is in walking distance of Hyde Park and London’s main shopping streets, and close to Imperial College. Accommodation will be available at the venue and other hotels in the vicinity.London in March offers a variety of diversions for out-of-conference relaxation, including sight-seeing and shopping; the arts and the theatre; and pubs, clubs and restaurants to suit every taste. Conference staff will be on hand to help delegates plan their spare time.To book your place or find out more information, e-mail info@microbicides2004.org.uk or telephone the Event Office on +44 (0) 20 7720 4411
Oral: invited speaker Oral: Track A Oral: Track B Oral: Track C Poster: Track A Poster: Track B Poster: Track C Abstract only Authors

MIH-01 INHIBITION OF VIRAL STD INFECTION BY PEPTIDES CONTAINING PROTEIN TRANSDUCTION MOTIFS

Brandt, Curtis R.
University of Wisconsin Medical School

Protein-protein interactions are fundamental in biology. Because of their importance, interfering with these interactions is a potentially powerful strategy for drug development. In the past few years, a number of publications have shown that peptides that match the sequence of a protein-protein interface will compete for the interaction and disrupt the complex. Such peptides have also been used to map protein-protein interaction sites. One problem with the use of peptide inhibitors is their inefficient entry into cells. However, the use of peptides to block activities at the cell surface does not suffer this limitation. During studies to improve the delivery of antiviral peptides into cells, we discovered that peptides that contain membrane-transiting motifs (e.g., tat, homeodomain, FGF4 signal sequence) were potent antivirals. We have identified peptides that inhibit Herpes simplex virus Type 1, Influenza virus, Human Immunodeficiency virus, Human Papilloma virus, and Vaccinia virus. Studies in animals show the peptides block HSV-induced disease and Influenza virus even post-exposure. We will briefly discuss the evidence showing that some of these peptides are virucidal, rendering virions permanently non-infectious. In studies where virions were added to cells at 4°C followed by peptide addition and subsequent shift to 37°C, we showed that the peptides inhibited viral entry. Finally, we will discuss more extensively new data showing that some of the peptides induce a state in cells whereby they are resistant to viral infection. Toxicity studies showing the peptides are non-toxic in vivo after corneal or vaginal instillation will also be discussed. The fact that we can prevent infection of cells by the three major viral STD’s with only one or two peptides represents a novel approach for microbicide development.

Curtis R. Brandt, Ph.D
Departments of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences and Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin Medical School, Madison, WI 53706, USA
(E-mail) crbrandt@facstaff.wisc.edu