About this Research Topic
Significant advancements in vaccine technology during the past decade have led to the rapid development of safe and effective vaccine candidates and to their licensure. These advancements are attributable in part to the discovery of the various novel adjuvants and combinations of adjuvants that have been tested in pre-clinical and clinical studies and proven to be effective in enhancing the magnitude, breadth, and durability of the immune responses when coadministered with the antigens. Six types of adjuvants are currently present in FDA-approved vaccines: aluminum salts, monophosphoryl lipid A, oil-in-water emulsion, CpG, and QS-21 saponin. Despite the success of several licensed vaccines and the importance of specific adjuvants in these vaccines, the mechanism of action of the adjuvants and their contribution to the efficacy of the vaccines are still poorly understood.
Many hurdles and gaps remain in the development of globally deployable vaccines against various infectious diseases. This is especially true for several emerging infections and HIV vaccines that require specific strategies for the induction of robust and long-standing immunity. Furthermore, there are no suitable adjuvants that can induce mucosal immune responses. Another gap is the lack of head-to-head comparison of adjuvants and adjuvant formulations. This research topic will highlight these gaps and address the importance of adjuvants and/or heterologous adjuvant strategies to induce the desired immune response. Research work done in the past decades has proposed numerous mechanisms through which traditional adjuvants mediate their activity. Similarly, it is important to unravel the mechanisms of novel adjuvants, particularly those that could elicit potent, durable, broad, and protective immune responses. Finally, the manufacturability considerations for novel adjuvants and their safety, efficacy, and cost-effectiveness needs to be addressed.
This research topic aims to cover the current and emerging vaccine adjuvant formulations. It will also heterologous adjuvant strategies currently in preclinical and/or clinical vaccine trials. The research topic also encompasses adjuvants that are suitable for mucosal delivery or for generating immune responses at the mucosal sites. In this Research Topic, we aim to bring together all aspects of research and development and manufacturability of adjuvants, and welcome adjuvant formulation scientists, vaccinologists, and immunologists, and other multidisciplinary teams to contribute to building knowledge on a wide and comprehensive landscape of the various aspects of vaccine adjuvant technology.
We welcome the submission of review articles, original research articles focusing on preclinical and clinical vaccine-adjuvant studies, perspective, and opinions highlighting the gaps in vaccine-adjuvant technology. The articles can address, but are not limited to, the following sub-topics:
• Promising adjuvants in preclinical and clinical vaccine trials
• Combination and synthetic adjuvant formulations for human vaccines
• Adjuvants for defining targeted immune responses
• Mechanism of action of novel adjuvants
• Adjuvants and formulations for mucosal immunization
• Manufacturing and formulation considerations for novel adjuvants
• Regulatory considerations for approval of novel adjuvants
Topic Editor Dr. Herman Staats is the co-founder and CEO of Mastezellen Bio. Dr. Herman Staats holds several patents related to vaccine adjuvant technology. Topic Editor Lakshmi Krishnan is an employee of the Government of Canada and is an inventor on several patents related to vaccine aduvant technology that are owned by the Canadian Crown. The other Edtors declare no competing interests in relation to the Research Topic focus.
Many hurdles and gaps remain in the development of globally deployable vaccines against various infectious diseases. This is especially true for several emerging infections and HIV vaccines that require specific strategies for the induction of robust and long-standing immunity. Furthermore, there are no suitable adjuvants that can induce mucosal immune responses. Another gap is the lack of head-to-head comparison of adjuvants and adjuvant formulations. This research topic will highlight these gaps and address the importance of adjuvants and/or heterologous adjuvant strategies to induce the desired immune response. Research work done in the past decades has proposed numerous mechanisms through which traditional adjuvants mediate their activity. Similarly, it is important to unravel the mechanisms of novel adjuvants, particularly those that could elicit potent, durable, broad, and protective immune responses. Finally, the manufacturability considerations for novel adjuvants and their safety, efficacy, and cost-effectiveness needs to be addressed.
This research topic aims to cover the current and emerging vaccine adjuvant formulations. It will also heterologous adjuvant strategies currently in preclinical and/or clinical vaccine trials. The research topic also encompasses adjuvants that are suitable for mucosal delivery or for generating immune responses at the mucosal sites. In this Research Topic, we aim to bring together all aspects of research and development and manufacturability of adjuvants, and welcome adjuvant formulation scientists, vaccinologists, and immunologists, and other multidisciplinary teams to contribute to building knowledge on a wide and comprehensive landscape of the various aspects of vaccine adjuvant technology.
We welcome the submission of review articles, original research articles focusing on preclinical and clinical vaccine-adjuvant studies, perspective, and opinions highlighting the gaps in vaccine-adjuvant technology. The articles can address, but are not limited to, the following sub-topics:
• Promising adjuvants in preclinical and clinical vaccine trials
• Combination and synthetic adjuvant formulations for human vaccines
• Adjuvants for defining targeted immune responses
• Mechanism of action of novel adjuvants
• Adjuvants and formulations for mucosal immunization
• Manufacturing and formulation considerations for novel adjuvants
• Regulatory considerations for approval of novel adjuvants
Topic Editor Dr. Herman Staats is the co-founder and CEO of Mastezellen Bio. Dr. Herman Staats holds several patents related to vaccine adjuvant technology. Topic Editor Lakshmi Krishnan is an employee of the Government of Canada and is an inventor on several patents related to vaccine aduvant technology that are owned by the Canadian Crown. The other Edtors declare no competing interests in relation to the Research Topic focus.
Keywords: Liposomes, nanoparticles, adjuvants, emulsions, microneedles, mucosal adjuvants, vaccine delivery platforms, adjuvant mechanisms
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