General Information

Conference Focus

The focus of HIV DART 2000 is to assemble clinicians, researchers and basic scientists together to advance our knowledge of the ongoing drug development processes in antiretroviral research. HIV DART 2000 will uniquely blend the areas of biology, chemistry, pharmacology and clinical research to provide the scientific community an increased understanding of the current and future challenges in therapeutics for HIV infection.

Conference Program Highlights

• Opening session will comprise a presentation by Dr Anthony Fauci, NIAID, National Institutes of Health on Sunday, December 17, 2000 at 2:00 PM

• Satellite symposia will follow the Opening Session
  
  
• Scientific sessions commence at 8:00 AM on Monday, December 18, 2000
  
  
• The conference program includes sessions covering the following topics:

• Drug Design and Discovery: Viral Targets
• Chemistry and Pre-Clinical Development
• Viral Resistance
• Phenotypic and Genotypic Assays
• Pharmacology
• Immunotherapy in HIV Infection
• First-line and Salvage Therapy
• Treatment Failure and Drug Interactions
• Pediatrics
• HIV/Hepatitis and Other Co-infections
• Vaccines/Therapeutic Vaccines

Conference Objectives

The Scientific Committee has designed the Conference program to ensure that the delegates achieve the following objectives:

• Understand the role of viral targets in the drug development and discovery process
• Identify novel therapeutic agents and viral targets
• Understand the chemistry and pre-clinical development of nucleosides/nucleotides, non-nucleosides, integrase, fusion and protease inhibitors
• Assess the role of resistance testing in the drug development and discovery process
• Increase awareness of the clinical impact of antiviral agents
• Understand the effect of immunotherapy in HIV infection
• Assess the status of first-line and salvage therapy for HIV infection
• Understand the consequences of Co-infection with hepatitis on the management of patients with HIV infection
• Assess the role of vaccines and therapeutic vaccines in future therapies for HIV infection

Target Audience

The Conference is open to anyone interested in HIV therapeutics. However, the content of this Conference was developed to interest primarily physicians, clinicians, scientists and clinical researchers in the infectious diseases.

Official Language

English will be used throughout the Conference. Simultaneous translations will not be made available.

Important Dates

Important Addresses

For all inquiries relating to the Conference, please contact the Conference Secretariat:

For all inquiries relating to the scientific program, please contact:

Sponsorship

Frontiers in Drug Development for Antiretroviral Therapies is sponsored by Northwestern University Medical School Office of Continuing Medical Education.

Accreditation

Northwestern University Medical School is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to sponsor continuing medical education for physicians.

Credit Designation

Northwestern University Medical School designates the continuing medical education activity for a maximum of *17.5 hours in Category 1 of the AMA Physician's Recognition Award. Each physician should claim only those hours of credit that he/she actually spends in the educational activity.

*These hours are applicable only to the scientific sessions, December 18-21, 2000. Northwestern University Medical School is not sponsoring oral abstract presentations, poster presentations, and satellite symposia for CME category 1 credit.

Disclosure

All faculty participating in the continuing medical education activities sponsored by Northwestern University Medical School are expected to disclose to the Conference delegation any real or apparent conflict of interest related to the content of their presentations. These disclosures will be available at the Conference.

Conference Venue

The entire Conference will be held at the following hotel:

The Ritz-Carlton
San Juan Hotel
6961 Avenue of the Governors
Isla Verde, Carolina
Puerto Rico 00979

The average daily temperature in Puerto Rico is a balmy 82 degrees Fahrenheit (28 degrees Celsius) year round.

Accommodations

Accommodations have been reserved at The Ritz-Carlton, San Juan Hotel. To obtain the specially discounted rates that have been negotiated for this Conference, all reservations must be made through the Conference Secretariat. Rooms will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Please complete the registration form available on this website to indicate the type of room your require.

The Ritz-Carlton, San Juan Hotel is located on eight acres of prime beachfront property in Isla Verde, convenient to both the city's business district and historic Old San Juan. The elegant accommodations and gracious service complement three fabulous restaurants and the first "Ritz" casino.

Close by, guests enjoy privileges at six championship courses, reef areas for diving and snorkeling, fishing clubs, horse racing, water-skiing, sailing and horseback riding.

The Ritz-Carlton, San Juan Hotel was selected the "Best Hotel in Latin America and the Caribbean" by the Condé Nast Traveler Twelfth Annual 1999 Reader's Choice Awards.

Accommodation Rates

The Ritz-Carlton, San Juan Hotel is able to offer a variety of rooms to suit the needs of the Conference delegates. The rates listed below are for single or double occupancy and do not include taxes or extra person charges.

Group rates as outlined above will be in effect for the nights of December 14 through December 24, inclusive. Extensions prior to these dates are subject to room and rate availability. Extensions past December 24 are available at the current rack rate only, due to the holiday season.

Delegates with accommodation requirements that are not provided for in the above list, i.e., suites, special access, etc. should contact the Conference Secretariat at +1 678 395 0029.

Travel

The Ritz-Carlton, San Juan Hotel is located five minutes from the Luis Muñoz Marin International Airport. If you are not planning to rent a car, taxis are available outside the airport. Currently, the taxi fare is US $10.

The following airlines are providing special rates for HIV DART 2000. The following numbers are staffed by fully trained meeting specialists who will assist you or your travel agent in confirming reservations to the meeting.

Please use the toll-free numbers below (within the United States) and specify the reference number when making your reservation. For those outside the United States, contact the local airline ticket office and mention the reference number.

Please purchase early to ensure the greatest benefit.

Registration

The Organizing Committee strongly suggests that you register early to ensure your confirmation, as registration will close when the capacity of the venue is reached. Priority will be given to persons submitting an abstract.

On-line registration is available on this Conference Website. Alternatively, you may download a printable, faxable registration form. Registrations sent vial E-mail cannot be accepted.

Conference Registration Fees

Payment of the Conference registration fee includes the following:

• Entrance into all scientific sessions, including poster area
• Delegate bag, including abstract book and final program
• Welcome reception following the Opening Session on Sunday, December 17, 2000
• Buffet-style breakfasts (4) on Monday - Thursday, December 18-21, 2000
• Buffet-style lunches (2) on Monday and Tuesday, December 18-19, 2000
• Refreshment breaks on Monday - Thursday, December 18-21, 2000
• Fiesta Gala Dinner on Tuesday, December 18, 2000
• Poster Session with Wine and Hors d'oeuvres on Wednesday, December 20, 2000

Accompanying Guests

Payment of the Accompanying Guest registration fee includes the following:

• Welcome reception on Sunday, December 17, 2000
• Buffet-style breakfasts (4) on Monday - Thursday, December 18-21, 2000
• Buffet-style lunches (2) on Monday and Tuesday, December 18-19, 2000
• Fiesta Gala Dinner on Tuesday, December 18, 2000
• Refreshment breaks on Monday - Thursday, December 18-21, 2000
• Poster Session with Wine and Hors d'oeuvres on Wednesday, December 20, 2000

Additional Tickets to the Fiesta Gala Dinner

If you would like to bring a non-registered guest(s) to the Fiesta Gala Dinner, please include $100 to your registration fee. Children under the age of 17 are welcome at no additional cost (limit 2). If you would like to bring a guest(s) to the Fiesta Gala Dinner, who has not paid the accompanying guest registration fee, please include $100 to your EARLY registration fee or $115 to your REGULAR registration fee. Children under the age of 17 are welcome at no additional cost (limit 2).

EARLY REGISTRATION

Early registration must be received on or before September 29, 2000.

REGULAR REGISTRATION

Cancellation Policies

• Cancellation of registrations received on or before October 13, 2000 will incur no penalty.
• Cancellation of registrations received after October 13, 2000 and prior to November 15, 2000 incurs a fee equivalent to 50% of the registration payment.
• No refund will be issued for registrations canceled after November 15, 2000.

Scholarship Fund

The Organizing Committee wishes to ensure that all scientists working in the HIV/AIDS field are able to attend this Conference to the benefit of their future research.

Provided funds are obtained through corporate support, several partial or full scholarship funds have been created so as to contribute toward the costs incurred by attending this Conference. Preference will be given to those applicants who are submitting an abstract and are post-doctoral fellows, nurses, assistant professors, or a resident of a developing country.

Please contact the conference secretariat if you wish to apply. You must also provide a letter from your mentor/supervisor indicating your need for a scholarship and a copy of your passport or driver's license.