Viral respiratory tract infections are responsible for substantial global morbidity and mortality, especially in young children and older adults. Influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are the leading causative agents of viral respiratory infections. In the past 18 months, the SARS-CoV-2 virus has infected more than 218 million people and killed 4.5 million of them. This shocking experience has confronted us with the devastating effects of a pandemic outbreak with a novel respiratory pathogen.
It is well-known that vaccination is the most effective method to control seasonal infections with influenza. The COVID-19 experience has clearly shown that rapid deployment of newly developed vaccines was able to reduce spread of the virus and mitigate occurrence and severity of the disease. Efforts to develop improved vaccines to protect against influenza, RSV, SARS-CoV-2 and to better prepare against future pandemics should therefore be sustained.
Every year, pharmaceutical companies produce vaccines designed specifically to combat the strains of flu that are most likely to be in circulation the following winter. Academic institutions and pharmaceutical companies are developing improved vaccines against influenza and novel vaccines against RSV. In the past 18 months numerous vaccines have been developed in response to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Meanwhile we have learned that accurately predicting how much protection a new vaccine can actually offer against emerging virus types is far from easy.
In 2015, the FLUCOP project sponsored by EU-IMI2 set out to create a standardized toolbox to evaluate the ability of new influenza vaccines to stimulate the immune system and compare results from different laboratories, so as to pave the way for future research into which tests will be predictive of vaccine efficacy.
This research topic wishes to compile the results of the FLUCOP efforts as well those of recent work to develop and/or harmonize assay methods to measure the humoral and cellular immune responses elicited by vaccines against RSV and SARS-CoV-2.
Ideally these efforts will facilitate and improve ongoing and future vaccines research and development.
We welcome the submission of Original Research articles, Reviews, Mini-Reviews, Perspective articles, Opinion articles, and Commentaries around the following topics, which include but are not limited to:
• Development and harmonization of assays to measure the humoral, cellular or innate immune response to respiratory viruses (influenza, RSV, SARS-CoV-2, and others)
• Identification of innate, humoral or cellular immune responses that correlate with protection against infection or severe disease caused by respiratory viruses
• Identification of factors that influence or determine the quality or magnitude of innate, humoral or cellular immune response to respiratory viruses
We acknowledge the funding of the manuscripts published in this Research Topic by Sclavo Vaccines Association. We hereby state publicly that Sclavo Vaccines Association has had no editorial input in articles included in this Research Topic, thus ensuring that all aspects of this Research Topic are evaluated objectively, unbiased by any specific policy or opinion of Sclavo Vaccines Association.
Viral respiratory tract infections are responsible for substantial global morbidity and mortality, especially in young children and older adults. Influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are the leading causative agents of viral respiratory infections. In the past 18 months, the SARS-CoV-2 virus has infected more than 218 million people and killed 4.5 million of them. This shocking experience has confronted us with the devastating effects of a pandemic outbreak with a novel respiratory pathogen.
It is well-known that vaccination is the most effective method to control seasonal infections with influenza. The COVID-19 experience has clearly shown that rapid deployment of newly developed vaccines was able to reduce spread of the virus and mitigate occurrence and severity of the disease. Efforts to develop improved vaccines to protect against influenza, RSV, SARS-CoV-2 and to better prepare against future pandemics should therefore be sustained.
Every year, pharmaceutical companies produce vaccines designed specifically to combat the strains of flu that are most likely to be in circulation the following winter. Academic institutions and pharmaceutical companies are developing improved vaccines against influenza and novel vaccines against RSV. In the past 18 months numerous vaccines have been developed in response to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Meanwhile we have learned that accurately predicting how much protection a new vaccine can actually offer against emerging virus types is far from easy.
In 2015, the FLUCOP project sponsored by EU-IMI2 set out to create a standardized toolbox to evaluate the ability of new influenza vaccines to stimulate the immune system and compare results from different laboratories, so as to pave the way for future research into which tests will be predictive of vaccine efficacy.
This research topic wishes to compile the results of the FLUCOP efforts as well those of recent work to develop and/or harmonize assay methods to measure the humoral and cellular immune responses elicited by vaccines against RSV and SARS-CoV-2.
Ideally these efforts will facilitate and improve ongoing and future vaccines research and development.
We welcome the submission of Original Research articles, Reviews, Mini-Reviews, Perspective articles, Opinion articles, and Commentaries around the following topics, which include but are not limited to:
• Development and harmonization of assays to measure the humoral, cellular or innate immune response to respiratory viruses (influenza, RSV, SARS-CoV-2, and others)
• Identification of innate, humoral or cellular immune responses that correlate with protection against infection or severe disease caused by respiratory viruses
• Identification of factors that influence or determine the quality or magnitude of innate, humoral or cellular immune response to respiratory viruses
We acknowledge the funding of the manuscripts published in this Research Topic by Sclavo Vaccines Association. We hereby state publicly that Sclavo Vaccines Association has had no editorial input in articles included in this Research Topic, thus ensuring that all aspects of this Research Topic are evaluated objectively, unbiased by any specific policy or opinion of Sclavo Vaccines Association.
