Molecular Virology and Translational Research in Antiviral Vaccine Development

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to invite you to contribute to this Special Issue on “Molecular Virology and Translational Research in Antiviral Vaccine Development”. Recent outbreaks of emerging and re-emerging viral pathogens—including those with zoonotic and pandemic potential—have underscored the urgent need for effective antivirals and vaccines. Molecular virology plays a central role in elucidating the mechanisms of viral replication, immune evasion, and host–pathogen interactions, which serve as critical foundations for therapeutic and vaccine innovation.

In parallel, translational research seeks to harness these molecular insights to inform the rational design and evaluation of interventions. Bridging these disciplines is essential to accelerate the development of mechanism-based countermeasures and strengthen global preparedness against viral threats. This Special Issue aims to highlight recent advances that connect mechanistic studies in virology with translational applications in antiviral and vaccine development. It aligns with the journal’s focus on advancing fundamental and applied research in infectious diseases, immunology, molecular biology, and therapeutics. By bringing together interdisciplinary contributions, this collection seeks to provide a comprehensive view of how molecular discoveries drive innovation in clinical and public health contexts.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Mechanisms of viral entry, replication, and assembly;
• Host–virus interactions and immune evasion;
• Reverse genetics and synthetic virology platforms;
• Structural and functional characterization of viral proteins;
• Preclinical evaluation of antiviral compounds and vaccine candidates;
• Immune correlates of protection and vaccine efficacy;
• Viral evolution and resistance mechanisms;
• Zoonotic spillover and pandemic-prone viruses.

We hope to build a collection that advances the field and fosters collaboration across the virology and translational research communities, and look forward to hearing from you.

Dr. Safder Ganaie
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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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.

• molecular virology
• antiviral development
• vaccine design
• host–pathogen interactions
• viral entry and replication
• immune evasion
• structural virology
• emerging and re-emerging viruses
• zoonotic viruses