Ladies and gentlemen, dear colleagues and friends,

It is my great pleasure to welcome you to this first "Workshop on HIV Persistence during Therapy", and to see this project taking shape.

I have been conducting clinical research into primary HIV infection and viral reservoirs for several years now, and have observed a definite lack of specific events on the "reservoir" issue. Thanks to the sustained help of Bob Gallo, Roger Pomerantz and Jose Gatell we have now built this new limited-size event, designed to preserve productivity and facilitate useful exchanges between participants. I would like to offer them my sincere thanks for believing in this project and supporting me throughout the last months; beyond my professional admiration for their work, they have also become invaluable friends.

However, the task was not easy, and we did not receive all the industrial backing we were hoping for. The reservoir theme often takes backstage as regards practical therapeutic concerns but – as our program shows – it should actually be in the spotlight!

We would particularly like to thank the firms that supported this project right from the outset: their contributions – whether full or partial – constitute vital cornerstones.

Lastly, we would like to thank all the participants who have chosen to present their work here: the excellence of the abstracts received will undoubtedly guarantee the success of this workshop.

I wish you all an enjoyable and fruitful workshop!

Alain Lafeuillade

Chair