About this Research Topic
Vaccination strategies have revolutionized the course of infectious diseases since ages. The prophylactic approaches have helped in achieving strong control over some of the important diseases globally. Despite tremendous success, further improvements in existing vaccine platforms and the development of novel vaccine delivery systems are necessary to:
(1) induce better mucosal and cell-mediated immunity.
(2) achieve effective protection against emerging and re-emerging strains.
(3) Enhancement in the breadth (heterologous, cross-genotype, and heterosubtypic) of immunity.
In this regard, novel vaccine programs based on protein scaffolds or nano-structures can offer a formidable approach to control not only infectious diseases, but, such platforms can be of great utility in the regulation of various types of cancer as well. Besides, they can also be exploited in prophylaxis against drug addiction or misfolded protein-associated diseases such as Parkinson’s dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease. In the present special issue, we seek input from various active research groups to take the nanovaccine to the next level.
Besides controlled delivery of antigens, nanovaccines can boast of releasing the associated antigen in a regulated fashion, thereby, helping in maintaining subunit vaccines for a longer duration. The avid uptake of the nanosized vaccines by antigen-presenting cells offers an added advantage over other forms of vaccination strategies. In this regard composition of the core antigen delivery platform is likely to manipulate the host immune system. Interestingly, there is growing interest in the involvement of components that can provide adjuvant-like functions. Although the core nanostructure itself is capable of offering an adjuvant effect, the plethora of TLR agonists when associated with nanoparticles (NPs) can maneuver the parent delivery system to work as an antigen delivery system facilitating antigen uptake and presentation by APCs or they activate innate immune receptors for cytokine production and maturation/migration of DCs. The choice and chemical manipulation of associated adjuvants can modulate innate immune responses thereby helping in skewing adaptive immune responses generated such as T helper 1 (Th1) versus T helper 2 (Th2)-biased immunity. There is an urgent need to replace alum-based adjuvants with more stringent but safe immune-boosting characteristics. In general, adjuvants are available for parenteral vaccinations, but very limited options are available for intranasal (IN) or other alternative routes of immunization. The nanoparticle-based antigen delivery systems are likely to serve as an alternative adjuvant for human and animal use as they act both as antigen delivery systems and activate innate immune responses.
By comprehensively tackling these challenges, the purpose of this Research Topic is to help transform traditional whole pathogen-based vaccines to a small fraction (subunit) of the pathogen.
We welcome both original research and review articles that focus on, but not limited to, the following topics:
- Explore the role of both protein scaffolds and nanosized antigen delivery platforms that can be used to deliver multiple antigens or antigen/adjuvant combinations. The nanocomplex not only improves antigen uptake and concurrent activation of APCs, but also, has the potential to manoeuvre innate immune re-programming of the host target cells.
- Investigate the co-delivery of various TLR agonists associated with core antigen nano-vehicles can evoke significantly greater T cell proliferative response and induce greater IgG antibody isotypes in the host post-immunization. The art of manipulating the core immunogenic properties of the subunit vaccine is likely to revolutionize immunological perspectives of future vaccine programs.
- The nanovaccines have the potential of co-delivering immunoadjuvants in combination with core cancer-associated antigens and are likely to induce therapeutic anti-tumor effects through the involvement of both CD4+ as well as CD8+ T cell populations. We also welcome studies on the nanoparticles (NPs) modifications to target professional antigen-presenting cells thereby helping in achieving heightened immune response in the host.
- To give new strategical input from the immunological field to make a concerted effort to achieve a disease-free world in the near future.
(1) induce better mucosal and cell-mediated immunity.
(2) achieve effective protection against emerging and re-emerging strains.
(3) Enhancement in the breadth (heterologous, cross-genotype, and heterosubtypic) of immunity.
In this regard, novel vaccine programs based on protein scaffolds or nano-structures can offer a formidable approach to control not only infectious diseases, but, such platforms can be of great utility in the regulation of various types of cancer as well. Besides, they can also be exploited in prophylaxis against drug addiction or misfolded protein-associated diseases such as Parkinson’s dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease. In the present special issue, we seek input from various active research groups to take the nanovaccine to the next level.
Besides controlled delivery of antigens, nanovaccines can boast of releasing the associated antigen in a regulated fashion, thereby, helping in maintaining subunit vaccines for a longer duration. The avid uptake of the nanosized vaccines by antigen-presenting cells offers an added advantage over other forms of vaccination strategies. In this regard composition of the core antigen delivery platform is likely to manipulate the host immune system. Interestingly, there is growing interest in the involvement of components that can provide adjuvant-like functions. Although the core nanostructure itself is capable of offering an adjuvant effect, the plethora of TLR agonists when associated with nanoparticles (NPs) can maneuver the parent delivery system to work as an antigen delivery system facilitating antigen uptake and presentation by APCs or they activate innate immune receptors for cytokine production and maturation/migration of DCs. The choice and chemical manipulation of associated adjuvants can modulate innate immune responses thereby helping in skewing adaptive immune responses generated such as T helper 1 (Th1) versus T helper 2 (Th2)-biased immunity. There is an urgent need to replace alum-based adjuvants with more stringent but safe immune-boosting characteristics. In general, adjuvants are available for parenteral vaccinations, but very limited options are available for intranasal (IN) or other alternative routes of immunization. The nanoparticle-based antigen delivery systems are likely to serve as an alternative adjuvant for human and animal use as they act both as antigen delivery systems and activate innate immune responses.
By comprehensively tackling these challenges, the purpose of this Research Topic is to help transform traditional whole pathogen-based vaccines to a small fraction (subunit) of the pathogen.
We welcome both original research and review articles that focus on, but not limited to, the following topics:
- Explore the role of both protein scaffolds and nanosized antigen delivery platforms that can be used to deliver multiple antigens or antigen/adjuvant combinations. The nanocomplex not only improves antigen uptake and concurrent activation of APCs, but also, has the potential to manoeuvre innate immune re-programming of the host target cells.
- Investigate the co-delivery of various TLR agonists associated with core antigen nano-vehicles can evoke significantly greater T cell proliferative response and induce greater IgG antibody isotypes in the host post-immunization. The art of manipulating the core immunogenic properties of the subunit vaccine is likely to revolutionize immunological perspectives of future vaccine programs.
- The nanovaccines have the potential of co-delivering immunoadjuvants in combination with core cancer-associated antigens and are likely to induce therapeutic anti-tumor effects through the involvement of both CD4+ as well as CD8+ T cell populations. We also welcome studies on the nanoparticles (NPs) modifications to target professional antigen-presenting cells thereby helping in achieving heightened immune response in the host.
- To give new strategical input from the immunological field to make a concerted effort to achieve a disease-free world in the near future.
Keywords: Nanovaccine, liposome, Virus like particles, biomimetics, mini bacteria, archesome, escheriosome
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.
