About this Research Topic
Clearing hostile microbial intruders at mucosal portals of entry is the basic principle of mucosal immune protection. The defense reactions which lead to a secretory immunoglobulin A response along with cell-mediated immunity must be initiated and expanded in a mucosal tissue. This requires the active uptake of antigen by cells in the epithelial layer and its presentation to lymphocytes in immune inductive sites below. Most mucosal tissues perform a critical physiological function. Consequently, mucosal vaccines must provide sufficient danger signals to induce a defense reaction yet at the same time be harmless enough to avoid bodily damage e.g. by an excess inflammatory response. Mucosal vaccine formulations must also overcome physical and chemical barriers in the lumen and be able to penetrate the mucosal epithelium. Despite these challenges, a growing number of vaccines have met these requirements since the development of the oral poliovaccine. These include the nasal trivalent influenza vaccine and oral vaccines for typhoid fever, cholera and rotavirus. Yet, many of our long-standing enemies, such as M. tuberculosis, as well as our most recent microbial threat, SARS CoV-2, still await an effective vaccination assault.
In this Research Topic, we want to cover the current status of mucosal vaccination approaches. We aim to present studies which describe innovative delivery methods, antigen formulations and immunomodulatory reagents for inducing a specific mucosal immune response, mechanistic investigations that enable a directed manipulation of such immune responses, and studies which demonstrate the protective power of passively-administered IgA antibodies or mucosal vaccination for preventing mucosally acquired infections.
We welcome the submission of Mini Reviews, Reviews, Original Research Articles and Methods Articles covering, but not limited to, the following sub-topics:
- Targeted delivery of antigens to mucosal lymphoid tissues
- Mucosal vaccine formulations and adjuvants
- Diverse functions of polymeric immunoglobulin A molecules
- Animal models and demonstration of protective mucosal immunity
- Diagnostic measures to determine extent, specificity and duration of mucosal immune responses
In this Research Topic, we want to cover the current status of mucosal vaccination approaches. We aim to present studies which describe innovative delivery methods, antigen formulations and immunomodulatory reagents for inducing a specific mucosal immune response, mechanistic investigations that enable a directed manipulation of such immune responses, and studies which demonstrate the protective power of passively-administered IgA antibodies or mucosal vaccination for preventing mucosally acquired infections.
We welcome the submission of Mini Reviews, Reviews, Original Research Articles and Methods Articles covering, but not limited to, the following sub-topics:
- Targeted delivery of antigens to mucosal lymphoid tissues
- Mucosal vaccine formulations and adjuvants
- Diverse functions of polymeric immunoglobulin A molecules
- Animal models and demonstration of protective mucosal immunity
- Diagnostic measures to determine extent, specificity and duration of mucosal immune responses
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
