Exploring Immune Evasion and Vaccine Strategies in Host-Pathogen Interactions

Host-pathogen interactions continue to challenge the fields of immunology and infectious disease research, as pathogens deploy a range of strategies to evade and navigate the host's immune defences. These host-pathogen dynamics are integral to understanding the progression of diseases caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. Pathogens like Mycobacterium tuberculosis, HIV, and Mucor spp. have developed mechanisms such as antigenic variation and immune suppression to persist within hosts, presenting challenges for effective vaccination and treatment strategies. Currently, there is an ongoing debate and need to fully understand the molecular breadth of these immune evasion strategies, as well as to develop innovative therapeutic interventions.

This Research Topic aims to dissect the underlying molecular and cellular strategies pathogens use to evade the immune system and translate these findings into novel vaccine technologies. Specific aims include the detailed characterization of the evolution and impact of immune evasion on host defences, the exploration of potential vaccine formulations engineered to tackle these evasion mechanisms, and the advancement of next-generation vaccines. These objectives align with the overarching goal of enhancing vaccine effectiveness, particularly against pathogens notorious for their immune dodging tactics.

The scope of this research focuses on elucidating the mechanisms of immune evasion across diverse pathogens and translating these insights into actionable vaccine strategies. It encompasses pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi, employing host models ranging from cell lines to animal infections to analyze immune dynamics. In doing so, it aims to delve into processes impacted by evasion, such as phagocytosis and cytokine signaling, while exploring innovative vaccine approaches. We welcome articles addressing specifically immune evasion, but not limited to, the following themes:

• Pathogen diversity and varied immune evasion tactics.
• Utilization of both in vitro and in vivo host models to study immune evasion.
• Analysis of immune targets disrupted by pathogens.
• Development and enhancement of advanced vaccine technologies.
• Integration of bioinformatics with experimental immunology to combat evolving pathogens.

The research excludes non-infectious diseases and emphasizes host-pathogen interactions relevant to vaccine-preventable conditions, aiming for translational applications in medicine and public health. Furthermore, this encompasses potential article types like original research, review articles, and methodological advancements related to the theme.