Mucosal Immunity in the Male and Female Reproductive Tract and Prevention of HIV transmission

Abstract

This Workshop entitled ‘Reproductive tract mucosal immunity and the prevention of HIV transmission’ was sponsored by the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), NIH, in collaboration with the Dartmouth Medical School, took place at the Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, in Lebanon NH, USA from June 30 to July 2, 2010. The overall objective of this meeting was to emphasize the importance of mucosal immunity in the male and female reproductive tract for transmission of HIV and to identify the means whereby the mucosal immune system can be optimized to achieve protection against HIV acquisition. This meeting would not have been possible without help from an excellent Scientific Organizing Committee consisting of Drs Geetha P. Bansal, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine; Susan Cu-Uvin, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University; Charu Kaushic, McMaster University; Jiri Mestecky, University of Alabama at Birmingham; and Robin Shattock, St George’s, University of London, who worked with us in preparing this Workshop. We also express our appreciation to Dr William Green, Dean of Dartmouth Medical School, for his support and commitment to the success of this Workshop.