About this Research Topic
Leishmaniasis, caused by various species of protozoan transmitted by sand fly vectors, occurs as a spectrum of clinical features including cutaneous, mucocutaneous and visceral forms. To date, there is no effective vaccine and traditional treatments are toxic, expensive with long administration duration, and have many adverse side effects and/or drug resistance.
Immunotherapies are disease management strategies that target or manipulate components of the immune system. As such, various immunotherapeutic approaches are increasingly being investigated as alternative therapies for infectious diseases, resulting in significant advances towards the uncovering of pathogen–host immunity interactions. Novel and innovative therapeutic strategies are necessary to overcome the challenges typically faced by existing infectious disease prevention and control methods such as lack of adequate efficacy, drug toxicity, and the emergence of drug resistance.
Immunotherapy could therefore be an effective addition to chemotherapy in the treatment of leishmaniasis, focusing on the induction of effective immune responses and reducing the current toxicity and other issues associated with traditional treatment.
In this Research Topic we aim to present some of the most notable inroads made to combat leishmaniasis through the use of immunotherapies such as:
- Vaccines
- mAb-based therapies
- T-cell-based therapies
- Manipulation of cytokine levels
- Checkpoint inhibition
- Nutritional and metabolic-based therapies.
Immunotherapies are disease management strategies that target or manipulate components of the immune system. As such, various immunotherapeutic approaches are increasingly being investigated as alternative therapies for infectious diseases, resulting in significant advances towards the uncovering of pathogen–host immunity interactions. Novel and innovative therapeutic strategies are necessary to overcome the challenges typically faced by existing infectious disease prevention and control methods such as lack of adequate efficacy, drug toxicity, and the emergence of drug resistance.
Immunotherapy could therefore be an effective addition to chemotherapy in the treatment of leishmaniasis, focusing on the induction of effective immune responses and reducing the current toxicity and other issues associated with traditional treatment.
In this Research Topic we aim to present some of the most notable inroads made to combat leishmaniasis through the use of immunotherapies such as:
- Vaccines
- mAb-based therapies
- T-cell-based therapies
- Manipulation of cytokine levels
- Checkpoint inhibition
- Nutritional and metabolic-based therapies.
Keywords: Leishmaniasis, Immunotherapies, Immune response, cytokines, T cells
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