The 2021 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) will feature the best and newest research in HIV infection, other emerging viral infections such as hepatitis C virus, and SARS-CoV-2

At this time, it is unclear if travel to Chicago in March will be safe or practical due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and we are planning for a virtual component for all attendees and speakers. CROI 2021 will include a virtual component that features 4.5 hours of live (real-time) interactive and engaging sessions in a variety of formats. Live sessions will begin at 10:00 AM Eastern Time (US) each day: Click Here to Convert to Your Local Time.

New on-demand sessions will also be made available each day.

The CROI 2021 Preliminary Agenda below is under development and will be updated as additional information becomes available.

Saturday, March 6, 2021
10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Eastern Time (USA)
Program Committee Workshop for New Investigators and Trainees

This workshop describes the current state-of-the-art of selected areas of HIV and SARS-CoV-2 basic, epidemiologic, and clinical research being presented at CROI 2021. The workshop is directed toward new investigators (both international and domestic) and trainees (eg, undergraduate students, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and physician fellows).

2:00 PM - 2:10 PM
Live Content Wrap-Up

Daily wrap-up of live content and a roadmap of on-demand content.

Sunday, March 7, 2021
10:00 AM - 10:15 AM
Eastern Time (USA)
Welcome from the Program Committee Chairs

Welcome and Daily Roadmap

10:15 AM - 10:50 AM
Martin Delaney Presentation

Panel Discussion

10:50 AM - 11:25 AM
Bernard Fields Lecture

Pamela Bjorkman, California Institute of Technology

11:25 AM - 12:05 PM
N’Galy-Mann Lecture

Anthony S. Fauci, National Institutes of Health

12:05 PM - 12:20 PM
Break
12:20 PM – 1:50 PM
Concurrent Technical Workshops

Frontiers in Laboratory Sciences

Clinical Trial Design and Analysis

Case-Based COVID Clinical Workshop

1:50 PM – 2:00 PM
Live Content Wrap-Up

Daily wrap-up of live content and a roadmap of on-demand content.

Monday, March 8, 2021
10:00 AM - 10:10 AM
Eastern Time (US)
Opening

Welcome and Daily Roadmap

10:10 AM - 11:00 AM
Plenary Presentations

Imaging Viral Life Cycles
Hans-Georg Kräusslich, Heidelberg University

Disparities in Health: From HIV to COVID-19 and Beyond
James Hildreth, Meharry Medical College

11:00 AM - 11:10 AM
Break
11:10 AM - 1:10 PM
Concurrent Oral Abstract Sessions

New abstract-driven research in HIV infection, other emerging viral infections such as hepatitis C virus, and SARS-CoV-2.

1:10 PM - 1:20 PM
Break
1:20 PM – 2:20 PM
Concurrent Interactive Sessions

Interactive and scientifically fun sessions in a mixture of lively formats such as debates, point-counterpoint discussions, brief talks with expert panel discussions, and “Rapid Fire” sessions: 4 or 5 short (5 mins) presentations by experts in the field.

2:20 PM – 2:30 PM
Live Content Wrap-Up

Daily wrap-up of live content and a roadmap of on-demand content.

On-Demand
Science Spotlights®

Science Spotlights® are a new format for presenting important science that is not part of an oral abstract session. More details are available on the Science Spotlights® page

On-Demand
Symposia

Two-hour Symposia include 4 state-of-the-art talks. Symposia are scheduled on each day of CROI. Speakers are provided 20 to 23 minutes to present and 5 minutes for questions and answers.

Navigating to the Nucleus

  1. Live Cell Imaging: Capsid Trafficking to Nucleus
  2. Single Virion Trafficking to Nucleus
  3. Imaging Capsid Dependent Reverse Transcription
  4. Capsid Inhibitor GS-6207

Innate Immune Defenses Against HIV-1 and SARS-CoV-2 

  1. Origin, Pathogenicity, and Immune Evasion Strategies of Human Coronaviruses
  2. Immune Evasion of SARS-CoV-2: Nsp1 and Beyond
  3. Restriction Factors: Shared Vulnerabilities and Different Countermeasures of HIV and SARS-CoV-2
  4. Innate Responses to SARS-CoV2 and InterferonTherapy

Tuberculosis: New Approaches to Prevention and Treatment and Issues for Pregnant Individuals and Children

  1. Long-Acting Injectables for Prevention and Treatment of Tuberculosis
  2. Pregnant Women and HIV and Tuberculosis
  3. Children: HIV and Tuberculosis
  4. COVID-19, HIV, and Tuberculosis

Effect of HIV on COVID, Effect of COVID on HIV

  1. Does HIV Impact COVID-19 Susceptibility or Severity?
  2. Effect of COVID-19 on Non-HIV Health Systems
  3. Effect of COVID-19 on the HIV Pandemic Worldwide
  4. Effect of COVID-19 on HIV: Experiences on the Ground
Tuesday, March 9, 2021
10:00 AM - 10:10 AM
Eastern Time (USA)
Opening

Welcome and Daily Roadmap

10:10 AM - 11:00 AM
Plenary Presentations

Immunotherapy for HIV and COVID-19
Marina Caskey, Rockefeller University

Sustained Delivery and Long-Acting Agents for Prevention of HIV
Linda-Gail Bekker, University of Cape Town

11:00 AM - 11:10 AM
Break
11:10 AM - 1:10 PM
Concurrent Oral Abstract Sessions

New abstract-driven research in HIV infection, other emerging viral infections such as hepatitis C virus, and SARS-CoV-2.

1:10 PM - 1:20 PM
Break
1:20 PM – 2:20 PM
Concurrent Interactive Sessions

Interactive and scientifically fun sessions in a mixture of lively formats such as debates, point-counterpoint discussions, brief talks with expert panel discussions, and “Rapid Fire” sessions: 4 or 5 short (5 mins) presentations by experts in the field.

2:20 PM – 2:30 PM
Live Content Wrap-Up

Daily wrap-up of live content and a roadmap of on-demand content.

On-Demand
Science Spotlights®

Science Spotlights® are a new format for presenting important science that is not part of an oral abstract session. More details are available on the Science Spotlights® page

On-Demand
Symposia

Two-hour Symposia include 4 state-of-the-art talks. Symposia are scheduled on each day of CROI. Speakers are provided 20 to 23 minutes to present and 5 minutes for questions and answers.

Immune-Mediating Killing of HIV Reservoirs: Opportunities and Obstacles

  1. Resistance of Reservoir Cells to Immune Killing 
  2. How to Generate Good Killers by Initiating ART (Not Too) Early? 
  3. Breaking the Germinal Center Barrier to Eliminate Viral Reservoirs 
  4. Interferon Resistance of HIV-1 in Viral Reservoirs 

Novel Antiviral Strategies and How to Deploy Them

  1. How to Use and Position Dual Regimens
  2. Novel Antiretroviral Agents in Clinical Development
  3. Antiretroviral Therapy for Newborns and Infants: A Last Frontier
  4. Beyond Remdesivir: New Antivirals for Treatment of SARS-CoV-2

COVID-19: Far More Than Just the Lungs

  1. COVID-19: The Endothelium Unleashed
  2. Body on Fire: Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children
  3. Think About It: Neurologic Manifestations of COVID-19
  4. COVID-19: Concerns of the Heart

What does PrEP Deliver?

  1. Young Women: Adherence, Effect, and Retention
  2. Challenges and Opportunities in Implementing PrEP in Key Populations
  3. Models of Delivering PrEP in Africa: Implementation Issues
  4. Cost Effectiveness of New Formulations and Injectable PrEP
Wednesday, March 10, 2021
10:00 AM - 10:10 AM
Eastern Time (USA)
Opening

Welcome and Daily Roadmap

10:10 AM - 11:00 AM
Eastern Time (USA)
Plenary Presentations

Profiling the Latent HIV-1 Reservoir
Xu Yu, Harvard University

HIV Treatment During Pregnancy
Shahin Lockman, Brigham and Women’s Hospital

11:00 AM - 11:10 AM
Break
11:10 AM - 1:10 PM
Concurrent Oral Abstract Sessions

New abstract-driven research in HIV infection, other emerging viral infections such as hepatitis C virus, and SARS-CoV-2.

1:10 PM - 1:20 PM
Break
1:20 PM – 2:20 PM
Concurrent Interactive Sessions

Interactive and scientifically fun sessions in a mixture of lively formats such as debates, point-counterpoint discussions, brief talks with expert panel discussions, and “Rapid Fire” sessions: 4 or 5 short (5 mins) presentations by experts in the field.

2:20 PM – 2:30 PM
Live Content Wrap-Up

Daily wrap-up of live content and a roadmap of on-demand content.

On-Demand
Science Spotlights®

Science Spotlights® are a new format for presenting important science that is not part of an oral abstract session. More details are available on the Science Spotlights® page

On-Demand
Symposia

Two-hour Symposia include 4 state-of-the-art talks. Symposia are scheduled on each day of CROI. Speakers are provided 20 to 23 minutes to present and 5 minutes for questions and answers.

New Findings and Unsettled Controversies in Central Nervous System HIV Reservoirs

  1. Novel Findings of Neuronal Modulation of HIV Expression in Microglia 
  2. Role of CNS CD4 T Cells and Macrophages in Neuropathogenesis and Reservoirs 
  3. Impact of Myeloid Reservoirs in HIV Cure Trials 
  4. Lessons from CNS HIV Escape for Understanding HIV Persistence in the CNS 

Adolescents, Youth, and PrEP

  1. PrEP During Pregnancy and Breastfeeding
  2. Implementing PrEP Among High-Risk Adolescents and Youth
  3. Decision-Making Behaviors that Drive Uptake and Adherence to PrEP
  4. Improving How We Market PrEP to Youth

HIV and the Liver

  1. Progress and Challenges in Hepatitis C Elimination
  2. Mechanisms and Treatments of Steatosis in HIV
  3. Harnessing Immunity to Cure Hepatitis N
  4. New Prospects for the Treatment of Hepatitis B

COVID-19 Vaccine: From Efficacy to Effectiveness

  1. Who to Enroll, How to Enroll, and Challenge Studies
  2. Vaccine Efficacy Trials During a Pandemic
  3. Leaving No One Behind: The Global Distribution of the SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine
  4. Vaccine Hesitancy