Current Advances in mRNA Vaccines for Infectious Diseases and Cancer Immunotherapy

Dear Colleagues

mRNA vaccine technology has proven to be an effective medical countermeasure against the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the past two decades, mRNA research labs have dedicated their efforts to gaining a better understanding of this innovative technology. One advantage of mRNA vaccines is their increased safety profile due to the short-lived nature of RNA and the lower risk of integration into the recipient's DNA. However, mRNA’s stability may limit its use in infectious diseases and cancer. Implementing innovative approaches to the mRNA platform is important to increase its applications for viruses, cancer, or other diseases for which no valid therapeutics are available.

This special issue explores various research areas, such as mRNA structure and stability, different administration routes, the use of adjuvants in mRNA technology, and the application of self-amplifying mRNA-based vaccines. Additionally, considerations on the mechanisms of mRNA vaccine that induce cell-mediated innate and humoral immunity are welcome, as are discussions on ex vivo platforms such as organoids and organ-on-chip systems to study mRNA vaccination.

Dr. Sushma M. Bhosle
Dr. Brian D. Carey
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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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. Vaccines is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). 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.

• mRNA design
• vaccines
• infectious disease
• cancer immunotherapy
• self-amplifying mRNA
• adjuvants
• organ-on-chip
• mRNA stability
• immune response
• clinical trials