Some 5,000 delegates from 133 countries attending the 4th IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention (IAS 2007) in Australia will discuss cutting edge developments in HIV/AIDS research.

The four-day conference opened Sunday in Sydney, Australia's largest city.

With important scientific advances setting the stage, the IAS 2007 organizers called for even greater vigilance to ensure universal access to HIV prevention and treatment, and expanded research to inform and strengthen the global response to HIV.

Over 3,100 original abstracts were submitted for consideration and 978 were accepted for oral or poster presentation, according to a media release from the conference Sunday.

This represents more than a 50 percent increase in the number of abstracts submitted to the 3rd IAS held in Rio de Janeiro in 2005.

New biomedical prevention strategies available and the development of novel treatments that offer new hope to persons in whom HIV has developed resistance to existing medications are among important scientific findings to be presented and discussed at the conference.

New knowledge of HIV pathogenesis and the mechanisms through which HIV causes immune deficiency will also be discussed.

In addition, key issues to be presented and discussed also include updates on the clinical implications of an aging population of people living with HIV, as well as on pediatric treatment issues.

(Xinhua News Agency July 23, 2007)