Materials development for biological implants and in vivo controlled delivery have historically focused on minimizing inflammation. Biomaterials are therefore usually optimized to inhibit the activation of inflammatory immune cell populations in tissues and biological fluids, to decrease toxicity, increase the therapeutic efficacy of delivered agents, and extend the lifetime of implanted devices. The types of cells implicated in the immune responses elicited by biomaterials continue to grow, with nearly all known immune cell subsets demonstrating some capacity for modulation by engineered biomaterials.

Recent advances in the development of hydrogels and both microscale and nanoscale biomaterials present novel opportunities to design strategies that can probe immune cell function. Instead of focusing on the prevention of inflammation, these new capabilities now allow materials to be engineered to investigate specific biological questions and further the understanding of immunological processes that have previously remained difficult or impossible to address directly.

The aim of this Research Topic is to provide insights into the new frontiers of immunoengineering, where principles of rational design and biomimicry have been employed to further basic understanding of immunobiology. We welcome the submission of Reviews, Original Research articles, Perspectives, and Methods covering the following topics:

(1) Physical adjuvant effects of particulates and surfaces.
(2) Mechanisms of antigen processing and presentation.
(3) Immune cell regulation in autoimmune disease and tolerance.
(4) Leukocyte functions within the tumor microenvironment.
(5) Construction of artificial immune niches for cancer immunotherapy.

Topic Editor Prof. Lonnie Shea receives financial support from COUR Pharmaceutical. Topic Editor Dr. Li Tang is the co-founder of PepGene. All other Topic Editors declare no competing interests with regards to the Research Topic subject.

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Frontiers in Immunology

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