Abstract submission

Track A will focus on recent advances made through both basic and translational research to further our understanding of HIV transmission, pathogenesis and persistence. Advances in single-cell, molecular and structural biology methods have led to a greater understanding of mechanisms underlying HIV persistence and the development of anti-HIV immune responses. For example, studies have shown that: intact proviral reservoirs become more clonal over time during suppressive ART; clones of infected cells wax and wane, and antigen stimulation drives clonal expansion; and a subset of HIV-infected cells resists immune-mediated killing, and integration site location may influence persistence. This has led to a greater understanding of specificity and functional features of cellular immune responses that distinguish controllers from non-controllers. In addition, there has been initial proof of concept in humans that bNAb B cell precursors can be targeted and expanded in vivo by rationally designed immunogens. Collectively, these observations highlight some of the challenges ahead and also provide opportunities to develop remission strategies that directly target key drivers of HIV persistence and improve vaccine approaches to generate protective immune responses. Basic science insights and advances highlighted in Track A will be connected to clinical research (Track B) advances where appropriate.

The clinical science track will highlight key developments in the management of people with HIV focusing on antiretroviral therapy (ART), particularly injectable and longer-acting forms of ART, ART toxicity and the management of HIV co-infections and anal cancer. There are critical knowledge gaps about the efficacy of injectable regimens in harder-to-treat populations, as well as the efficacy and toxicity of the next wave of long-acting treatments. In addition, the issue of ART-associated weight gain will be further explored with a focus on new treatments or ART-switching strategies that could potentially ameliorate this effect. SARS-CoV-2 and monkeypox disproportionately impact people living with HIV globally and require due attention to effective ways of managing these co-infections. In addition, new data on methods to prevent anal cancer in people with HIV and more effective regimens to treat tuberculosis will require reporting on whether these findings can be implemented successfully in affected populations.

We have seen significant advances in the scale up of access to oral PrEP in the past decade. Nevertheless, adherence to daily oral pills remains a challenge for many. The recent approval of long-acting PrEP agents, including the dapivirine vaginal ring and injectable cabotegravir, creates opportunities to expand HIV prevention choices and increase tailoring of HIV prevention programmes to individual needs. We will invite updates on the development of new PrEP agents, review the implications of long-acting PrEP on HIV prevention trial design, and explore efforts to increase inclusion of previously underrepresented populations, such as pregnant and breast-feeding people, adolescents and people who use drugs, in clinical trials. We will encourage submissions that report on progress and lessons from the introduction of approved PrEP agents into a range of settings and populations. We will learn more about innovative approaches to differentiated services that increase choice and access for stigmatized and marginalized populations through demedicalization or integration with contraceptive, STI or gender-affirming hormone therapy services.

The search for an effective HIV vaccine continues. We will learn how COVID-19 has influenced the field of vaccine development, and, together with Track A, this track will review progress in the development of monoclonal antibodies and vaccines for the prevention of HIV, STIs and TB. HIV testing remains an entry point into programmes. We will learn more about advances in diagnostics, including self-testing, as well as the potential uses of recency assays to guide programme implementation and in new HIV prevention trial designs. As progress in HIV treatment and prevention continues, the epidemiology of HIV in many settings is changing. This track will review new insights from molecular epidemiology into this evolution. Mathematical models that quantify the potential impact of an increasing array of effective HIV prevention interventions on the trajectory of the epidemic will also be presented.

Track D will stimulate a critical discussion on the status of the field of HIV at the beginning of the fifth decade. This is at a time when HIV has become a manageable chronic disease in many parts of the world and the prevention landscape seems completely different from what it was three decades ago – and yet there is still considerable delay in the rollout of new biomedical tools that provide that new outlook. Hence, the track will assess the role of social and behavioural science not only in contextualizing prevention and care research and practice, but also in assessing trends in social and behavioural research on HIV. It will also assess the impact of such research on ongoing debates and emerging thinking about the evolution of prevention and care vis-à-vis ongoing changes in sexual behaviour, sexual cultures, technology and society in general.

While prevention and treatment options have improved and expanded dramatically over the past few years, there remains a gap between Phase 3 trials of new agents in well-resourced clinical research sites and scale up in real-world settings to ensure that these highly efficacious tools are delivered to the populations that have the greatest need and are likely to experience the most benefit. Concurrently, people living with HIV continue to age with non-communicable diseases, accounting for an increasing burden of morbidity and mortality in these populations globally. It is thus critical for programmes to pivot from a disease-centric to a person-centric approach to ensure that interventions address the needs of individuals. For key populations, such as trans people, men who have sex with men and people who inject drugs, strategies for horizontal integration across health systems will be equally critical for optimizing outcomes. These strategies include integrating hormone replacement therapy, harm reduction services and mental health services, along with HIV testing and ART. Until recently, delivery of comprehensive prevention and treatment services from physical venues was the norm. However, one of the collaterals of COVID-19-associated restrictions was the development of novel treatment and prevention models that utilized either technology or peer and/or outreach workers to decentralize service delivery, with models such as field- or home-based ART delivery being more prevalent.

Copyright policy

Abstracts must not include libellous or defamatory content. Material presented in abstracts must not violate any copyright laws. If figures, graphics and/or images have been taken from sources not copyrighted by the author, it is the author’s sole responsibility to secure the rights from the copyright holder in writing to reproduce those figures, graphics and/or images for both worldwide print and web publication. The author must bear all reproduction costs charged by the copyright holder.

Language

As the official IAS 2023 language is English, all abstracts must be in English. If English is not your native language, please arrange for a native English speaker to review your abstract before submission. Please use the UNAIDS terminology guidelines and People First terminology when drafting and submitting your abstract. Please ensure that you DO NOT use stigmatizing language. DO use: people or person living with HIV; person or people with COVID-19; person or people with TB; healthcare seekers or clients. DO NOT label people as: HIV-infected; infected; cases; carriers; victims; patients.

Resubmission policy

An abstract that has been previously published or presented at a national, regional or international meeting can be submitted to IAS 2023 only if there are new methods, findings, updated information or other valid reasons for resubmitting.

If preliminary or partial data have been published or presented previously, the submitting author will be required to provide details of the publication or presentation, along with a justification of why the abstract merits being considered for IAS 2023. The IAS 2023 Organizing Committee will consider this information when making final decisions.

If the author neglects to provide these required details and justification or if evidence of previous publication or presentation is found, the abstract will be rejected.

Plagiarism

The conference organizers regard plagiarism as serious professional misconduct. All abstracts are screened for plagiarism and, when identified, the abstract and any other abstracts submitted by the same author are rejected. In addition, the submitting author’s account and scholarship application (if one has been submitted) will be cancelled.

Co-submission

IAS 2023 may negotiate co-submission of abstracts with affiliated events, pre-events and/or external events. Visit the Co-submission section further down on this page for updated information.

Ethical research declaration

The conference supports only research that has been conducted according to the protocol approved by the institutional or local committee on ethics in human investigation. Where no such committee exists, the research should have been conducted in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki of the World Medical Association. If you answer “no” or “not applicable”, you will be required to provide a written explanation for your answer. The IAS 2023 Organizing Committee may enquire further into ethical aspects when evaluating abstracts.

As is the case with most scientific and medical conferences, abstracts from IAS 2023 are released to delegates and media under a strict embargo policy. The conference embargo policy can be found here. All conference delegates, presenters and media agree to respect this policy.

Conference account

Authors must create a conference account to submit an abstract. More than one abstract can be submitted through a conference account. After an abstract has been created, modifications can be made until 31 January 2023, 23:59 Central European Time.

Choosing a track category

The track category is the general heading under which the abstract will be reviewed and later published in the conference materials if accepted. During the submission process, you will be asked to select one track category for your abstract. Choose the track category that best describes the subject of the abstract.

Abstract structure

The conference offers two options for abstract submission:

Option 1

This is suitable for research conducted in all disciplines. Abstracts submitted under Option 1 should contain concise statements of:

• Background: Indicate the purpose and objective of the research, the hypothesis that was tested, or a description of the problem being analysed or evaluated.

• Methods: Describe the study period, setting and location, study design, study population, data collection and methods of analysis used.

• Results: Present as clearly and in as much detail as possible the findings and/or outcomes of the study. Please disaggregate data by age and gender where possible and summarize any specific results.

• Conclusions: Explain the significance of your study’s findings and/or outcomes for HIV prevention, treatment, care and/or support and future implications of the results.

The following review criteria will be used in scoring abstracts submitted under Option 1:

1. Is there a clear background and justified objective?

2. Is the methodology and/or study design appropriate for the objectives?

3. Are the results important and clearly presented?

4. Are the conclusions supported by the results?

5. Is the study original and does it contribute to the field?

Option 2

This is suitable for lessons learnt through programme, project or policy implementation or management. Abstracts submitted under Option 2 should contain concise statements of:

• Background: Summarize the purpose, scope and objectives of the programme, project or policy.

• Description: Describe the programme, project or policy period, setting and location, the structure, key population (if applicable) and activities and interventions undertaken in support of the programme, project or policy.

• Lessons learnt: Present as clearly and in as much detail as possible the findings and/or outcomes of the programme, project or policy. Include an analysis or evaluation of lessons learnt and best practices. Please summarize any specific results that support your lessons learnt and best practices.

• Conclusions/next steps: Explain the significance of the findings and/or outcomes of the programme, project or policy for HIV prevention, treatment, care and/or support and future implications of the results.

The following review criteria will apply to abstracts submitted under Option 2:

1. Is there a clear background and justified objective?

2. Are the programme, project or policy design and implementation appropriate for the objectives?

3. Are the lessons learnt or best practices important, supported by the findings and clearly presented?

4. Are the conclusions/next steps supported by the results and are they feasible?

5. Is the work reported original and does it contribute to the field? 

Disaggregation by sex and other demographic data in abstracts 

Authors are encouraged to provide a breakdown of data by gender identity and/or assigned sex at birth and other demographics, such as age, geographic region, racial/ethnic identity and/or other relevant demographic characteristics in submitted abstracts, when appropriate. Your abstract should include the number and percentage of men and women who participated in your research or project (and additional breakdown by gender, age and/or ethnicity if appropriate). Results should be disaggregated by sex/gender and other relevant demographics. Analyses of any gender-based differences or any other differences between sub-populations should be provided in the Results or Lessons learnt sections, if relevant.

Font

Use a standard font, such as Arial, when formatting the text. This helps prevent special characters from getting lost when copying the text to the online abstract submission form. Ensure that you check the final abstract with the system’s preview function before submission, and edit or replace if necessary.

Word limits

The abstract is limited to 350 words. Titles are limited to 30 words.

A maximum of two tables and/or graphs or images can be included. A graph or image (in JPG, GIF or PNG, ideally 600dpi) counts as 50 words and a table counts as five words per row (50 words maximum).

Common reasons for abstract rejection:

• Abstract poorly written

• Not enough new information

• Clear objective and/or hypothesis missing

• Methods (either quantitative or qualitative) inadequate and/or insufficient to support conclusions

• Summary of essential results inadequate and/or missing

• Study conclusions not supported by the data

• Linkage between different parts of the abstract not comprehensible

• Duplicate or overlap with another abstract

• Study too preliminary or insufficient to draw conclusions

• Study originality lacking

Recommendations:

• Abstracts should disclose primary findings and avoid, whenever possible, promissory statements, such as “experiments are in progress” or “results/lessons learnt will be discussed”.

• If English is not your native language, arrange for a native English speaker to review your abstract before submission.

• IAS – the International AIDS Society – offers an Abstract Mentor Programme for less experienced submitters. Please see further information below.

Submission confirmation

After submission of the abstract, a confirmation email will be sent to the abstract submitter. To receive confirmation, please ensure that your email provider does not mark emails from ias2023@abstractserver.com as spam. 

• Scholarship application

Abstract review

All submitted abstracts will go through a blind peer-review process carried out by international reviewers. At least three reviewers will review each abstract.

Abstract selection

A small number of abstracts will be selected for oral presentation in a session or as a paper poster to be displayed on site. The majority of abstracts selected for the conference will be displayed as on-demand e-posters virtually on the conference platform.

Notification of acceptance or rejection to the corresponding author

Notification of acceptance or rejection will be sent to the submitting (corresponding) author by mid-April. Please note that only the corresponding author will receive an email concerning the abstract; this author is responsible for informing all co-authors of the status of the abstract. The presenting author, whose abstract has been accepted, will receive instructions for the presentation of their abstract.

Rule of two

Each presenting author may present a maximum of two abstracts at the conference. The number of submissions is, however, not limited. If an author has more than two abstracts accepted for presentation, a co-author must be named as the presenting author for one or more abstracts.

Each presenting author may also present one late-breaker abstract at the conference.

The submission of an abstract constitutes the author(s)’ consent for publication. If the abstract is accepted, the author(s) agree that the abstract is published under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0) licence. The licence allows third parties to share the published work (copy, distribute, transmit) and to adapt it for any purposes, under the condition that IAS 2023 and authors are given credit and that in the event of reuse or distribution, the terms of this licence are made clear. Authors retain the copyright of their abstract, with first publication rights granted to the IAS.

Accepted abstracts may, therefore, be published on IAS websites and in such publications as the IAS 2023 online conference programme and other conference materials, the IAS abstract archive and the Journal of the International AIDS Society (JIAS).

For IAS 2023, the 12th IAS Conference on HIV Science, an abstract is a standalone statement that briefly explains the essential information of a study, research project, policy or programme.

Detailed descriptions of the scope and objectives of each scientific track, as defined by the IAS 2023 Organizing Committee, can be found on the abstract submission page.

The deadline for submission of abstracts is 31 January 2023, 23:59 CET.

Abstracts are intended to present scientific studies, research, programmes and policies, highlighting the methods and/or description and results and/or recommendations. If you are describing a study that is still in the planning stage, it would not be suitable for submission unless the methods that you use is, for example, of particular scientific interest. However, if your study is ongoing and you have preliminary data that seems relevant or significant, please submit an abstract.

Late-breaker submissions must introduce data of unquestioned significance. Data analysed after the regular submission deadline (31 January 2023) should not be sent in for late breakers if the data do not meet an extremely high standard of scientific merit. The percentage of abstracts selected as late breakers will depend on the number of submissions made, but selection will certainly be more rigorous than for regular abstracts. A small number of late-breaker abstracts will be accepted for presentation orally or as posters at the conference.

During their abstract submission, authors will have to declare the reason why their abstract is a late breaker. The same submission rules apply for late-breaker abstracts as for regular abstracts, but each presenting author may present only one late-breaker abstract at the conference. Late-breaker abstract submission will be open from 20 April to 10 May 2023.

An abstract consists of a title, author list and abstract text no longer than 350 words. It can also include tables or graphs and/or images. Literature references should not be included.

IAS 2023 offers two options for abstract submission:

Option 1

This is suitable for research conducted in all disciplines. Abstracts submitted under Option 1 should contain concise statements of:

• Background: Indicate the purpose and objective of the research, the hypothesis that was tested or a description of the problem being analysed or evaluated.

• Methods: Describe the study period, setting and location, study design, study population, data collection and methods of analysis used.

• Results: Present as clearly and in as much detail as possible the findings and/or outcomes of the study. Please disaggregate data by age and gender where possible and summarize any specific results.

• Conclusions: Explain the significance of the findings and/or outcomes of your study for HIV prevention, treatment, care and/or support and future implications of the results.

Option 2

This is suitable for lessons learnt through programme, project or policy implementation or management. Abstracts submitted under Option 2 should contain concise statements of:

• Background: Summarize the purpose, scope and objectives of the programme, project or policy.

• Description: Describe the programme, project or policy period, setting and location, structure, key population (if applicable) and activities and interventions undertaken in support of the programme, project or policy.

• Lessons learnt: Present as clearly and in as much detail as possible the findings and/or outcomes of the programme, project or policy. Include an analysis or evaluation of lessons learnt and best practices. Please summarize any specific results that support your lessons learnt and best practices.

• Conclusions/next steps: Explain the significance of the findings and/or outcomes of the programme, project or policy for HIV prevention, treatment, care and/or support and future implications of the results.

Before submitting an abstract, you will be asked to create a conference account. One or several abstracts can be submitted through this account.

To submit abstracts, please log in to your conference account and click on the “Abstract submission” box on the conference account overview page. Then click on the red button, “Submit an abstract”. In the abstract submission system:

1. Select the track, category and country of research. Enter your abstract title and text.

2. Enter the presenting author and co-authors (individually).

3. Preview your abstract and check format and correctness.

4. Submit your abstract.

After an abstract has been created, modifications can be made at any time until the submission deadline. After submission, the abstract submitter will receive a confirmation email with an abstract reference number. Please refer to this reference number in all conference correspondence.

After an abstract has been submitted via the conference account, modifications can be made until the submission deadline, 31 January 2023. After making your modifications, you need to resubmit your abstract. No modifications will be accepted after 31 January 2023.

A good abstract title is short, specific, representative and informative. It helps the reviewers categorize your abstract and, if accepted, it may help conference delegates find your presentation. The title should summarize your abstract without going into excessive details. Describe the topic clearly, including, for example, the population, country and issue of the research. Titles are limited to 30 words.

It is permitted but not mandatory to include tables, graphs and/or images in the abstract. A maximum of two tables, graphs or images in total can be included. A graph or image (in JPG, GIF or PNG, ideally 600dpi) counts as 50 words, and a table counts as five words per row (50 words maximum). As a reminder, the abstract text body is limited to 350 words.

Please create your table or upload your graph or image following the instructions in the abstract submission system. Place the table, graph or image into your abstract text and save the changes. Review the abstract preview page to ensure that your table, graph and/or image displays properly.

There is no limit to the number of co-authors per abstract, although we strongly recommend the use of a study group name for abstracts with a high number of co-authors. A person can be listed as a co-author if they meet ALL the following criteria:

1. They made substantial contributions to concept and design, acquisition of data or analysis and interpretation of data.

2. They drafted the abstract or revised it for intellectual content.

3. They approved the final version to be submitted.

If the abstract is accepted, the presenting authors are asked to disclose all financial and personal relationships between themselves and others that might be perceived as biasing their work. The conference organizer asks that all presenting authors disclose any conflict of interest at the time of presentation for the benefit of conference delegates. The purpose of this is to guarantee that all potential conflicts of interest are recognized and that mechanisms to resolve them before the conference are implemented.

Material presented in abstracts should not violate any copyright laws. If figures, graphics and/or images have been taken from sources not copyrighted by the author, it is the author’s sole responsibility to secure the rights from the copyright holder in writing to reproduce those figures, graphics and/or images for both worldwide print and web publication. The author must bear all reproduction costs charged by the copyright holder.

All submitted abstracts will go through a blind peer-review process by international reviewers. At least three reviewers will review each abstract. The IAS 2023 Organizing Committee makes the final selection of abstracts to be included in the conference programme.

A small number of abstracts will be selected for oral presentation in a session or as a paper poster to be displayed on site. The majority of abstracts selected for the conference will be displayed as on-demand e-posters virtually on the conference platform.

The methodology or study design presented in your abstract should be appropriate to address the purpose and objectives. Results or lessons learnt should be clearly presented and support the conclusions. In addition, the findings should contribute to the advancement of knowledge and development in the field.

If English is not your native language, we strongly recommend that you arrange for a native English speaker working in your field to review your abstract before submission.

Please use the UNAIDS terminology guidelines and People First terminology when drafting and submitting your abstract. Please ensure that you DO NOT use stigmatizing language. DO use: people or person living with HIV; person or people with COVID-19; person or people with TB; healthcare seekers or clients. DO NOT label people as: HIV-infected; infected; cases; carriers; victims; patients.

You may check the common reasons for abstract rejection in the abstract submission guidelines found further up on this page.

You may also review examples of abstracts from previous conferences.

Notification of acceptance or rejection will be sent to the submitting (corresponding) author by mid-April.

To obtain a certificate for abstracts accepted, please contact abstracts@ias2023.org.

The submission of the abstract constitutes the authors’ consent to publish. If the abstract is accepted, the authors agree that their abstract can be published under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0) licence. The licence allows third parties to share the published work (copy, distribute, transmit) and adapt it for any purposes, under the condition that IAS 2023 and the authors are given credit, and that in the event of reuse or distribution, the terms of this licence are made clear. Authors retain the copyright of their abstracts, with first publication rights granted to IAS – the International AIDS Society.

An electronic abstract book will be available free of charge on the conference website.

Accepted abstracts will be published on IAS websites and in such publications as the IAS 2023 online programme and other conference materials, the IAS abstract archive and the Journal of the International AIDS Society (JIAS).