Chronic Viral Infections and Cancer, Openings for Therapies and Vaccines

Dear Colleagues,

Approximately one out of eight human cancers has a viral etiology. Viral cancers open unique opportunities for prophylaxis, diagnosis, and therapy, as demonstrated by the success of HBV and HPV vaccines, as well as HCV antivirals in decreasing the incidence of tumors associated with these infections.

For other chronic viral infections and associated cancers, problems still dominate over progress. Prophylactic HPV vaccination does not cure already established infections, although an adjuvant role has been identified following conventional treatment, urgently requesting development of therapeutic HPV vaccines. Several are in the pipeline, but still far from actual application for treatment of HPV-related cancers. Development of HCV vaccines is in progress but hampered by HCV variability and absence of longitudinal sterilizing antiviral response. The success of antiretroviral therapy in controlling HIV-1 replication and immune reconstitution did not lead to significant reduction in HIV-1 associated cancers, indicating alternative mechanisms of their development not connected to immune suppression, requiring in-depth study and clinical interventions.

In this Special Issue, we aim to unravel the progress in the studies of the molecular pathogenesis of chronic viral infections and cover the common mechanisms of action of human oncogenic viruses, such as the activity of viral oncoproteins, the induction of genomic instability, the support of chronic inflammation, and the modulation of tumor microenvironment. Special attention will be devoted to virus-induced alterations in the functions of the immune system, to induction of innate and adaptive immune responses, including the relationship between immune response and viral infections, metabolism, and immunometabolism, as well as to oncolytic viruses. In-depth understanding of these processes would create new openings for the design of novel viral vaccines and immunotherapies.

A special invitation to submit is addressed to the participants of the international symposium “Chronic Viral Infections and Cancer, Openings for Vaccines” held online on 16–17 December 2021 www.techvac.org, sponsored by Cancers. 

Dr. Maria G. Isaguliants
Dr. Alexander Ivanov
Dr. Franco M. Buonaguro
Guest Editors

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