CROI 2025: Introduction to this year’s conference

9 March 2025. Related: Early access, Conference reports, Conference index, CROI 32 San Francisco 2025.

9 to 12 March 2025, San Francisco

Introduction

Simon Collins, HIV i-Base

This year’s CROI is being held from 9 to 12 March in San Francisco, California. [1]

This will not be a normal CROI.

This year the conference is being held in the aftershock of the first weeks of a new US administration that decimated HIV treatment and prevention programmes globally. [2, 3]

This was without concern for the 20 million people living with HIV who access ART through the US PEPFAR programme. Or for the millions more whose healthcare is covered by international HIV prevention programmes, including thousands of community clinics developed after years of work.

This will make the conference a focus for resistance. Despite the Trump ban to prevent US government scientists from attending the meeting, or routinely presenting their research, CROI will still bring together thousands of HIV researchers, scientists, doctors and community activists.

A woman holds open her purple jacket to show the text on her black t-shirt, which reads, "It's a coup." She has chin-length hair and a quizzical expression on her face. She is looking straight ahead. There is a microphone behind her, and someone in the foreground is taking a photo of her on their phone.

Rebecca Denison, giving the Martin Delaney Community Lecture during the opening ceremony at CROI 2025.

This will be an emotionally charged meeting and the feeling from the delegates already here is that people are attending for more than science.

As an example, the conference organisers have already made Rebecca Denison’s powerful and moving opening speech available online.

And of course the programme is as scientifically vibrant and dynamic as always.

Highlights from the programme this year include:

bNAbs and cure-related research
Several studies will present data on the potential for bNAbs to control HIV viral load when taking a carefully controlled break in ART. This includes first results from the UK RIO study which includes the potential to keep viral load undetectable off-ART. Plus the first potential intervention to show a vaccine like response to cure HIV.
Pipeline ART and PrEP
New data will be presented on new compounds and combinations for HIV treatment with a focus on long-acting drugs from existing and new drug classes. These will include islatravir, lenacapavir and other capsid inhibitors, bNAbs (including N6LS and the TAB and ZAB twins – teropavimab and zinlirvimab).
PrEP in practice
Many studies will cover the practical issues associated with access to PrEP, including event-based dosing of oral PrEP for women and new data on the potential for a single annual lenacapavir injection for PrEP. Also studies on access to long-acting injectable PrEP for all and pricing of generic formulations.
Formulations for children
Several studies present new data on dosing options for children, including dolutegravir dosing for neonates.
Other cure-related studies
Research on other cure-related approaches including new new cases of stem-cell transplant and cures. Also research into viral load control without ART includes someone who was a long-term slow progressor for over 30 years before viral load became detectable.
Weight changes and ART
Several plenary talks and many of the submitted studies will focus on approaches to manage weight changes in people living with HIV.
Semaglutide and other GLP-1 agonists
Several studies present new and updated results from using GLP-1 drugs for weight loss in people living with HIV and a potential role in other indications, including ageing and cognitive function.
Ageing and HIV
Many aspects of the management of people living with HIV as we age include a focus this year on interpreting epigenetic ageing.
Drug resistance
Several sessions in the programme continue to look at the implications of drug resistance to integrase inhibitors (INSTIs), which are the basis of the most widely used combinations globally. These include trying to explain why there are so low levels of resistance to this class.
Long COVID and mpox
The programme still includes a focus on COVID-19, especially on understanding and managing Long COVID. Although there are fewer studies covering mpox, these will include more detailed phase 3 data from one of the recently discontinued tecovirimat studies, including the first open discussion on these results.