About this Research Topic
Vaccines represent the most cost-effective measure to limit the burden of disease-causing agents and their efficacy has been shown to rely on potent humoral and cellular responses. Although T cells are important contributors to immune responses against various pathogens, T cell responses are – in comparison to antibody responses – less commonly measured in vaccine studies due to among others more complex experimental procedures, lack of standardization, and lower sensitivity. As such, T cell-based correlates of protective immunity remain underexplored. Moreover, there is little knowledge of how baseline immune states influence the induction and maintenance of antigen-specific T-cell responses after natural exposure or vaccination. Another interesting field emerging in the last decade includes therapeutic vaccination for cancer patients. In this case, T cells targeting tumor–associated antigens as well as neoantigens appear as the main anti-tumor immune effectors, and efforts to identify their correlates with the clinical response are ongoing. Also, current research is focused on immune status biomarkers to predict cancer vaccine responders. Thus, there is a clear interest in expanding the portfolio of T cell assays and to identify immune correlates of T cell responses.
This is of interest because of reasons that cannot simply be attributed to genetic or geographical disparities, there is a substantial variety in the ability to induce and maintain T-cell responses within the general population. In disease settings that drastically change the immunological steady state to one of enhanced inflammation as seen in chronic viral diseases or ageing, it is plausible that distinct immune components (e.g. T cell exhaustion or senescence) may dictate the course of immune responses during infection or vaccination to eventually determine the short and long-term quality of the T cell responses induced.
The proposed topic would aim to advance our understanding of the immune factors that influence T-cell responses during infection or vaccination. An aspect of particular interest would be the identification of determinants of T cell responses against recall or de novo antigens which may help discern between primary and secondary exposure. Addressing these aspects could contribute to global efforts to better understand immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, support pandemic preparedness initiatives, and aid in identifying immune predictors for the efficacy of cancer vaccines.
We welcome submissions of research articles on the following areas:
- Immune predictors of T-cell responses during natural infection or vaccination
- Novel assays or tools to study T-cell responses.
- Multi-omics studies that cover various layers of cellular processes to better understand the dynamics of T-cell responses.
- In vitro or in vivo studies delineating mechanisms that provide a rationale for strategies to improve T-cell responses.
- Adjuvant compounds to improve T-cell responses.
- Alterations in distinct T-cell subsets distribution and/or differentiation pathways and effects on responses to disease or vaccine antigens.
- Alterations in antigen-presentation pathways and effects on T-cell responses to disease or vaccine antigens.
This is of interest because of reasons that cannot simply be attributed to genetic or geographical disparities, there is a substantial variety in the ability to induce and maintain T-cell responses within the general population. In disease settings that drastically change the immunological steady state to one of enhanced inflammation as seen in chronic viral diseases or ageing, it is plausible that distinct immune components (e.g. T cell exhaustion or senescence) may dictate the course of immune responses during infection or vaccination to eventually determine the short and long-term quality of the T cell responses induced.
The proposed topic would aim to advance our understanding of the immune factors that influence T-cell responses during infection or vaccination. An aspect of particular interest would be the identification of determinants of T cell responses against recall or de novo antigens which may help discern between primary and secondary exposure. Addressing these aspects could contribute to global efforts to better understand immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, support pandemic preparedness initiatives, and aid in identifying immune predictors for the efficacy of cancer vaccines.
We welcome submissions of research articles on the following areas:
- Immune predictors of T-cell responses during natural infection or vaccination
- Novel assays or tools to study T-cell responses.
- Multi-omics studies that cover various layers of cellular processes to better understand the dynamics of T-cell responses.
- In vitro or in vivo studies delineating mechanisms that provide a rationale for strategies to improve T-cell responses.
- Adjuvant compounds to improve T-cell responses.
- Alterations in distinct T-cell subsets distribution and/or differentiation pathways and effects on responses to disease or vaccine antigens.
- Alterations in antigen-presentation pathways and effects on T-cell responses to disease or vaccine antigens.
Keywords: Cellular mechanisms, Immune predictors, Natural immunity, T cell responses, Protective immunity, Vaccine
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.
