New Insights into Vaccine Adjuvants

Dear Colleagues,

Recent advances in vaccine adjuvant research have significantly deepened our understanding of their mechanisms, design, and clinical potential. The increasing use of highly purified antigens, while enhancing vaccine safety, has reduced intrinsic immunogenicity and created a need for new, effective adjuvants capable of boosting and modulating immune responses, including those that influence the regulatory arm of immunity. Modern adjuvants are engineered to target innate immune pathways, such as TLRs and other PRRs, enabling the rational development of systems that direct antigen-specific responses and strengthen long-term memory. Nanotechnology-based platforms enhance antigen delivery, lymph node targeting, and controlled release, while growing interest in mucosal adjuvants underscores the importance of inducing local and systemic protection at pathogen entry sites. Safety, tolerability, and scalability remain critical considerations, as few adjuvants are licensed for human use. Systems biology and artificial intelligence further accelerate discovery through high-throughput screening and personalized optimization. This Special Issue gathers original research and reviews addressing these areas, from adjuvant design to preclinical and clinical evaluation.

Dr. Alexander Batista-Duharte
Dr. Gabriel Cabrera
Guest Editors

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