CROI 2026: Introduction and main likely themes
21 February 2026. Related: Early access, Conference reports, Conference index, CROI 33 (Retrovirus) 2026.
Simon Collins, HIV i-Base
From 22–25 February 2026, CROI will be held in Denver, Colorado and also as a hybrid meeting for on-line delegates.
Maintaining both options is essential given the increasing concerns many people have about travelling to the US and the costs involved in attending international meetings. It is also linked to the Trump administration’s policies to cancel funding for many international health programmes and its increasingly anti-science agenda.
These policy changes are so dramatic that the CROI Foundation now proactively states the importance of scientific research and investment in public health. This statement also condemns censoring of science and the withdrawal of funding for research and for evidence-based prevention and treatment programmes.
Although approximately 3000 delegates are registered to attend in person, international community attendence is likely to now be lower than in recent years.
This is no reflection on the quality of the research that will be presented over the next week. CROI is still one of the most important meetings for researchers to showcase their work and as with previous meetings, this year has an exciting and varied programme.
This includes the preliminary programme already that has been posted online:
https://www.croiconference.org/preliminary-agenda
A link to the full programme will be added here once it becomes available.
Access to abstracts will initially be restricted to delegates until the end of the conference but should then be accessible here:
https://www.croiconference.org/search-abstracts
Selected podcasts and review video resources:
https://www.croiconference.org/our-voices
New CROI policies and opening talks
One of the practical changes this year is that daily press conferences are no longer being held that will limit the struggle to report headline results from the highest profile research based before the full results have even beed presented. This is a progressive development that might be considered by other conference organisers meetings including IAS.
The 2026 conference includes 1028 abstracts (from >1700 submitted),, including 70 late-breakers. Of these, 98 are oral presentations, 47 in poster discussions and 930 posters.
Three key themes of the conference are already set by the opening lectures: progress over 30 years towards finding a cure (by Professor Sharon Lewin), responding to the political assault on science by the Trump administration (by activist Peter Staley) and collaborative progress into HIV prevention (by Professor Linda-Gail Bekker).
The following clinical highlights to watch will be updated with reference to specific studies after the relebant embargo’s are lifted. Please chek back later for these.
ART pipeline: new HIV drugs and combinations
New combinations, including as switch options, including in specific populations, are expected to be presented for lenacapavir/bictegravir (formuated as a tiny tablet for daily oral ART), once-daily oral doravirine/islatravir, including with renal impairment, injectable lenacapaivr plus two bNAbs, once-weekly oral islatravir/lenacapavir, 4-monthly N6LS (another bNAb) with monthly CAB-LA injections and off-label use of injectable cabotegravir with lenacapavir.
This will include new data on why some of these combinations fail and the role of drug resistance.
Most of the studies of potential new drugs will be in long-acting formations and novel pipeline compounds include integrase inhibitors (GS-3242 and VH-184), capsid Inhibitors (VH-499), NNRTIs (a doravirine implant, and depulfavirine), the NRTTI MK-8591 and bNAbs (see below). Also a Chinese FDC with ainuovirine/3TC/TDF.
bNAbs in different settings
In addition to the studies above, other studies will report on the multiple uses of bNAbs, including as a component of ART, use as PrEP, and in cure-related studies to enable some people to safely interrupt ART.
These include teropavimab, zinlirvimab, N6LS, 10E8.4/Ibalizumab, VRC07-523LS and PGT121.414.LS.
PrEP pipeline and new approaches to PEP
CROI will also include possible new drugs for PrEP including an NRTTI MK-8591, oral monthly MK-8527, lenacapavir (twice yearly and once-yearly), 4-monthly cabotegravir, bNAbs and a dolutegravir implant.
Many dozens of studies will look at pratical issues related to access and uptake of all formulations of PrEP, including side effects, drug resistance and discontinuation rates and why people often stop taking PrEP.
Several studies will also present on PEP and better options for this important option for HIV prevention.
Cure-related research and the viral reservoir
CROI 2026 has a very strong focus on cure-related research including the outcomes of various interventions such as bNAbs, PD-1 blockers, IL-15 etc to reduce the viral reservoir, and on how to explain other mechanisms involved in both elite controllers and people with post-treatment viral contol. This will include studies in children as well as adults.
Closely linked to cure-related research, CROI will include many studies looking at the dynamics of the viral reservoir, including in different populations and realted to timing of ART in different settings and the impact of bacterial STIs.
This will also include clinical complications of chronic inflammation including sub-clinical cardiovascular risks and resisdual viral activity on ART.
Political changes and the impact of US funding cuts
The impact of US funding cuts and withdrawal from international health programmes is included throughout the programme this year, including in an opening talk by prominent US activist Peter Staley.
Many talks will look at the impact of financial cuts and instability, especially for countries in sub-Saharan Africa, and approaches to overcome them,
New studies on drug resistance
Research into drug resistance is always included at CROI but this year will include trying to explain drug resistance in INSTIs, especially given the global use of DTG-based ART (where resistance might be increasing) and especially in the context of detectable viral load.
Several studies will look at the use of current first-line ART in people with historical resistance to NRTIs.
Monitoring tests
Although rarely headling news, several presentations will look at possible advances in monitoring.
These include various poin-to-care (PoC) studies for viral load, urine monitoring (including for paediatric TB), PoC HIV and STI testing (including via vending machines), rapid mpox (with syphilis and herpes) and for sensitivity to bNAbs.
GLP-1 agonists for weight loss (and other indications)
Several studies at 2024 and 2025 included tentative data on the use of GLP-1 agonimst and this year will cover their use for weight loss of other potential indications.
This is likely to be an important new theme that will be important for everyone.
Other research about unplanned wieght increases on ART is also expected as this is one of the most pressing community concerns.
Other complications of HIV and/or ART
Studies covering a wide range of other complications will be presented, including on the management of hypertension, cardiovascular disease, neurological complications, ageing, tuberculosis, liver disease, mpox, other STIs and cancers.
Research in specific populations
CROI recognises both sex and gender in the programme that includes the importance of reporting whether people are cisgender or transgender.
Expect to see new research invovling transgender healthcare and a wide range of studies about children and adolescent care.
CROI actively promotes the use of people-first language and all researchers were also encouraged to include a plain language summary.
This post will be updated after the embargo lifts in a few days to include details of specific studies.