About this Research Topic

Background

Infectious diseases have jeopardized human health significantly as evidenced by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. In recent years, the world has witnessed outbreaks of many emerging and re-emerging infections such as SARS (most recent by SARS-CoV-2), Ebola, Zika, MERS, dengue which in addition to taking millions of lives, have posed major health issues in recovered individuals. Moreover, several infectious agents like hepatitis B and C viruses, human papillomavirus, human immunodeficiency virus type 1, Epstein-Barr virus, human T-cell leukemia/lymphoma virus type 1, Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus, Helicobacter pylori and Streptococcus bovis have been found to cause different types of cancers since the action mechanism of these agents sometimes transforms an infected cell into a cancer cell. As these infections are difficult to treat with available drugs owing to their lower efficacy, toxicity and emergence of drug resistance; immunotherapy is viewed as a viable option.

Immunotherapy is manipulating body’s defense mechanism to treat/manage disease. Threats of emerging and reemerging infectious diseases in addition to dangers of developing cancer due to cancer-causing infectious agents combined with lack of effective treatment modalities has shifted focus of scientific community to immunotherapy. Advancements in immunotherapies comprising vaccines, monoclonal antibodies, cytokines, T cells and checkpoint inhibitors have shown immense promise in combating not only cancer but infectious diseases as well. Through this Research Topic, we aim to discuss recent advances in immunotherapy-based treatment/management of infectious diseases We aim to include studies that evaluate how different forms of immunotherapies including vaccines have been/can be exploited for preventing/treating/managing infectious diseases.

We welcome Original Research Articles, Reviews, and Mini-reviews discussing the following main themes:

• Vaccines against emerging/re-emerging diseases.
• Vaccine design components/technologies such as adjuvants, delivery systems, administration route, dosage.
• Targeted therapy.
• Cancer immunotherapy using (but not limited to) monoclonal antibodies, cytokines, T cells and checkpoint inhibitors.
• Monoclonal antibodies (including nanobodies) against SARS-COV-2 for the treatment and prevention of COVID-19.
• Immunotherapies for infectious diseases using (but not limited to) monoclonal antibodies, cytokines, T cells and checkpoint inhibitors.

Authors are encouraged to submit manuscripts elaborating the use of delivery systems/nanoparticles/nanomaterials for the aforementioned theme/themes.

Keywords: immunotherapy, preventive vaccine, therapeutic vaccine, infectious disease, delivery system, intracellular pathogen, adjuvants, humoral immunity, cellular immunity, mAb based therapy, T cell based therapy, cytokines, checkpoint inhibition

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.

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