Adenovirus: Enduring Toolbox for Basic and Applied Research

Dear Colleagues,

The Adenoviridae family comprises a wide variety of human and animal viruses sharing genetic and structural characteristics. Their 80–100 nm non-enveloped icosahedral capsids contain core proteins and a ~36 kb double-stranded genome packed with structural and regulatory genes. The study of the adenoviral life cycle and its interactions with the host has revealed fundamental biological processes over several decades, and most likely it will enlighten us for many years to come.

More recently, adenoviruses have become versatile platforms for the development of therapeutic agents. The stability of their genome and the relative simplicity of its manipulation have enabled the development of a wide repertoire of adenovirus-based products with different properties, all of them sharing high transduction efficacy in mammalian cell cultures and in vivo. Their lytic life cycle has been exploited for the development of oncolytic agents, whereas progressive deletions of the viral genomes have resulted in gene therapy vectors with optimal cloning capacity and increased episomal stability. The strong immune responses elicited by adenoviral particles have been a drawback for early generation adenoviral vectors, but they are currently being harnessed to develop vaccines and improve cancer immunotherapies.

The driving force for the continuous refinement of the adenovirus as a toolbox for basic and applied research is attaining a deep understanding of its structure and function. In this Special Issue on the adenovirus, we aim to compile state-of-the art reviews and research articles on basic aspects of the virus’ biology, and the applications of this knowledge for the development of improved therapeutic agents. This includes but is not restricted to viral entry; intracellular trafficking; replication; encapsidation, genome maintenance in infected cells; host interactions; virus persistence; oncolytic adenoviruses; adenoviral vectors, and adenoviral-based vaccines. Currently, gene therapy achievements and limitations are getting attention more than ever before, so we believe this Special Issue is timely and appropriate.

We look forward to receiving your valuable submission, which will undergo a fair and fast review. Please consider this opportunity to contribute to the advancement of this exciting field. For participants of the 14th International Adenovirus Meeting in Spain (https://iam2020.atlantacongress.org/), a 10% discount on Article Processing Charges will be applied.

Dr. Ruben Hernandez-Alcoceba
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.