Translational research models and novel adjunctive therapies for neuroAIDS

The goal of this component of the meeting was to discuss novel therapeutics that attenuate inflammatory pathways, enhance drug delivery into the brain and/or bypass the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Presentations included discussions of (i) antiretroviral drugs packaged into nanoparticles by Howard Gendelman, (ii) how to engage the nasal epithelium and its closely associated neural fibers as a route for drug entry to the brain, by William H. Frey and Lynn Pulliam, and (iii) antioxidant gene delivery to neurons using vector systems that can protect neurons against HIV-associated toxicity, by David Strayer. The session was capped by active discourse among leaders in the field of adjunctive therapies in a broad range of scientific disciplines.