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Vaccines
Special Issues
Role of Next Generation Vaccines in Immunotherapeutics
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Role of Next Generation Vaccines in Immunotherapeutics

A special issue of Vaccines (ISSN 2076-393X).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2025 | Viewed by 5036

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Swayam Prakash

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute for Immunology, School of Medicine, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
Interests: vaccine development; immunogenetics; molecular and computational biology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Vaccines have been instrumental in combating diseases, and next-generation vaccines represent a transformative leap forward in preventing infections and advancing immunotherapeutics. These innovative vaccines offer new approaches to treating and preventing various diseases. Next-generation vaccines encompass nucleic acid vaccines (DNA and RNA), viral vector vaccines, protein subunit vaccines, and recombinant vector vaccines. They offer several advantages over traditional vaccines, such as rapid development, stability, and the ability to elicit specific immune responses. Nucleic acid vaccines, particularly mRNA vaccines, gained global attention during the COVID-19 pandemic for their rapid development and high efficacy. Viral vector and protein subunit vaccines are also being explored for their potential to develop targeted and less reactive vaccines. Next-generation vaccines also show promise in treating chronic diseases, cancers, and autoimmune conditions. They can target specific tumor antigens in cancer immunotherapy and modulate immune responses in autoimmune diseases and allergies. We invite you to contribute a research or review article linking different components of the virus or vaccine to immune responses and clinical or preclinical data.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Swayam Prakash
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.

Keywords

  • immunotherapeutics
  • vaccines
  • nucleic acid vaccines
  • viral vector and protein subunit vaccines
  • cancer vaccines
  • autoimmune diseases and allergies
  • COVID-19
  • clinical trials
  • pre-clinical trials

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 4231 KiB  
Article
A Spike-Based mRNA Vaccine Encapsulated in Phospholipid 1,2-Dioleoyl-sn-Glycero-3-PhosphoEthanolamine Containing Lipid Nanoparticles Induced Potent B- and T-Cell Responses Associated with Protection Against SARS-CoV-2 Infection and COVID-19-like Symptoms in Hamsters
by Afshana Quadiri, Swayam Prakash, Latifa Zayou, Nisha Rajeswari Dhanushkodi, Amruth Chilukuri, Gemma Ryan, Kelly Wang, Hawa Vahed, Aziz A. Chentoufi and Lbachir BenMohamed
Vaccines 2025, 13(1), 47; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines13010047 - 8 Jan 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1617
Abstract
Background: Nucleoside-modified mRNA encapsulated in lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) have emerged as a promising vaccine strategy, especially for COVID-19. While the LNPs protect mRNA from degradation and efficiently deliver the mRNA to antigen-presenting cells, the effect of lipid composition on the immunogenicity and protective [...] Read more.
Background: Nucleoside-modified mRNA encapsulated in lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) have emerged as a promising vaccine strategy, especially for COVID-19. While the LNPs protect mRNA from degradation and efficiently deliver the mRNA to antigen-presenting cells, the effect of lipid composition on the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of mRNA/LNP vaccines is not well characterized. Studies on using the mRNA/LNP platform for vaccines have largely focused on the nucleic acid cargo with less attention paid to the LNP vehicle. Whether the composition and biophysical properties of LNPs impact vaccine performance remains to be fully elucidated. Methods: In the present study, we used SARS-CoV-2 Spike-mRNA as a prototype vaccine to study the effect of four different LNPs with various lipid compositions. Results: We demonstrate that when the same Spike-mRNA was delivered in the LNP4 formulation based on phospholipid 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-Phosphoethanolamine, it outperformed other LNPs (LNP1, LNP2, and LNP3) that are based on different lipids. Compared to the other three LNPs, LNP4 (i) enhanced the phenotypic and functional maturation of dendritic cells; (ii) induced strong T-cell responses; (iii) increased the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines and pro-follicular T helper (Tfh) cell cytokines; (iv) induced higher neutralization IgG titers; and (v) provided better protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19-like symptoms in the hamster model. Furthermore, we compared LNP-4 with the commercially available LNPs and found it to provide better T-cell immunity against COVID-19 in hamsters. Conclusion: This study suggests mRNA vaccines encapsulated in Phospholipid 1,2-Dioleoyl-sn-Glycero-3-PhosphoEthanolamine containing LNPs induced Potent B- and T cell immunity. The mechanisms by which Phospholipid 1,2-Dioleoyl-sn-Glycero-3-PhosphoEthanolamine-based LNPs may activate protective B and T cells are discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Role of Next Generation Vaccines in Immunotherapeutics)
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10 pages, 645 KiB  
Article
The Glycopeptide PV-PS A1 Immunogen Elicits Both CD4+ and CD8+ Responses
by Sharmeen Nishat, Md Kamal Hossain, Geraud Valentin, Farzana Hossain, Shanika Gamage, Katherine A. Wall and Peter R. Andreana
Vaccines 2024, 12(12), 1375; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines12121375 - 6 Dec 2024
Viewed by 943
Abstract
Background/Objectives: The MHCII-dependent, CD4+ T-cell zwitterionic polysaccharide PS A1 has been investigated as a promising carrier for vaccine development because it can induce an MHCII-dependent CD4+ response towards a variety of tumor-associated carbohydrate antigens (TACAs). However, PS A1 cannot elicit cytotoxic T lymphocytes [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: The MHCII-dependent, CD4+ T-cell zwitterionic polysaccharide PS A1 has been investigated as a promising carrier for vaccine development because it can induce an MHCII-dependent CD4+ response towards a variety of tumor-associated carbohydrate antigens (TACAs). However, PS A1 cannot elicit cytotoxic T lymphocytes through MHCI, which may or may not hamper its potential clinical use in cancer, infectious and viral vaccine development. This paper addresses PS A1 MHCI independence through the introduction of an MHCI epitope, the poliovirus (PV) peptide, to establish an MHCI- and MHCII-dependent vaccine. Methods: We synthesized a glycopeptide construct targeting the Thomsen-nouveau TACA (Tn-PV-PS A1) and a control Tn-PV peptide. C57BL/6 mice were immunized with both constructs, and the resulting T-cells were extracted from spleens. Results: Through cell proliferation assays, we show that Tn-PV-PS A1 elicits a robust CD4+ and CD8+ immune response. The resulting cytotoxic T lymphocytes are specific towards Tn-PV and trigger cell lysis of Tn-expressing EL4 cells. Conclusions: This study confirms PV-PS A1 as a robust MHCI- and MHCII-dependent carrier. This is the first report of MHCI dependence in a zwitterionic polysaccharide. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Role of Next Generation Vaccines in Immunotherapeutics)
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Review

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29 pages, 1162 KiB  
Review
Antigen Delivery Platforms for Next-Generation Coronavirus Vaccines
by Aziz A. Chentoufi, Jeffrey B. Ulmer and Lbachir BenMohamed
Vaccines 2025, 13(1), 30; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines13010030 - 31 Dec 2024
Viewed by 1908
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is in its sixth year and is being maintained by the inability of current spike-alone-based COVID-19 vaccines to prevent transmission leading to the continuous emergence of variants and sub-variants of [...] Read more.
The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is in its sixth year and is being maintained by the inability of current spike-alone-based COVID-19 vaccines to prevent transmission leading to the continuous emergence of variants and sub-variants of concern (VOCs). This underscores the critical need for next-generation broad-spectrum pan-Coronavirus vaccines (pan-CoV vaccine) to break this cycle and end the pandemic. The development of a pan-CoV vaccine offering protection against a wide array of VOCs requires two key elements: (1) identifying protective antigens that are highly conserved between passed, current, and future VOCs; and (2) developing a safe and efficient antigen delivery system for induction of broad-based and long-lasting B- and T-cell immunity. This review will (1) present the current state of antigen delivery platforms involving a multifaceted approach, including bioinformatics, molecular and structural biology, immunology, and advanced computational methods; (2) discuss the challenges facing the development of safe and effective antigen delivery platforms; and (3) highlight the potential of nucleoside-modified mRNA encapsulated in lipid nanoparticles (LNP) as the platform that is well suited to the needs of a next-generation pan-CoV vaccine, such as the ability to induce broad-based immunity and amenable to large-scale manufacturing to safely provide durable protective immunity against current and future Coronavirus threats. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Role of Next Generation Vaccines in Immunotherapeutics)
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