Innovative Vaccines and Technologies to Address Tropical Parasitic Diseases

A Special Issue of Vaccines (ISSN 2076-393X) belonging to the section "Vaccines Against Tropical and Other Infectious Diseases".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2027 | Viewed by 1473

Editors


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Guest Editor
Unidad de Biotecnología y Protozoarios(UBIPRO), Instituto de Patología Experimental “Dr. Miguel Ángel Basombrío”, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Universidad Nacional de Salta, Salta A4400, Argentina
Interests: Chagas disease; Trypanosoma cruzi; vaccine development; biotechnological approaches; drug repurposing; host–pathogen interfence; immune response;parasite gene-deletion

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Guest Editor
Laboratorio de Tecnología Inmunológica, Facultad de Bioquimica y Cs Biológicas, Universidad Nacional del Litoral, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Santa Fe, Argentina
Interests: Trypanosoma cruzi; adjuvant; prophilactic vaccine; terapeutic vaccine; immune response; biomarkers

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Guest Editor
Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
Interests: Chagas disease; host–parasite interactions; immune evasion; parasite dormancy; light-sheet microscopy; expansion microscopy; skeletal muscle infection; therapeutic development

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Tropical parasitic diseases significantly impact global health, particularly in endemic regions where access to prevention and treatment is limited. These infections, caused by complex eukaryotic pathogens such as Trypanosoma cruzi, Leishmania spp., and Plasmodium spp., present unique immunological and biological challenges that complicate traditional vaccine approaches. Developing safe, effective, and accessible vaccines is essential to reducing morbidity, preventing transmission, and contributing to long-term disease control and eventual elimination.

This Special Issue aims to feature innovative scientific advances in vaccine research for tropical parasitic diseases. We invite original research articles and comprehensive reviews that cover topics such as antigen discovery, chimeric and multi-epitope vaccine design, novel adjuvants, immunomodulatory strategies, host–parasite interactions, and biotechnology-based delivery platforms. This Special Issue seeks to advance the field and promote the creation of next-generation vaccines with a significant global impact.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Cecilia Maria Perez Brandan
Dr. Iván Sergio Marcipar
Dr. Fernando Sanchez-Valdez
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • tropical parasitic diseases
  • vaccine development
  • chimeric and multiepitope vaccines
  • immunomodulation and adjuvants
  • host–parasite interaction
  • biotechnology-based vaccine platforms

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

20 pages, 2632 KB  
Article
Long-Lasting Antibody and CD8+ Memory T Cell Responses Induced by N-Tc52/TSKb20 Vaccination upon Trypanosoma cruzi Antigen Re-Encounter
by María Elisa Vázquez, Brenda A. Zabala, Maria Constanza Barrientos, Daniela E. Barraza, María A. Occhionero, Federico Ramos, Alejandro Uncos, Leonardo Acuña and Cecilia Pérez Brandán
Vaccines 2026, 14(6), 526; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines14060526 - 13 Jun 2026
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Abstract
Background: Chagas disease, caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, remains a major public health problem in Latin America and an emerging concern worldwide. Current chemotherapies show limited efficacy during chronic infection, and no licensed vaccine is currently available. We previously developed the chimeric [...] Read more.
Background: Chagas disease, caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, remains a major public health problem in Latin America and an emerging concern worldwide. Current chemotherapies show limited efficacy during chronic infection, and no licensed vaccine is currently available. We previously developed the chimeric antigen N-Tc52/TSKb20 as a vaccine candidate against T. cruzi infection. In a murine model, this vaccine induced robust antigen-specific immune response associated with protection shortly after vaccination. Objectives: Here, we investigated the long-term persistence and effector functions of the immune responses elicited by this vaccine candidate. Methods: Both female and male C57BL/6 mice were immunized with three doses of N-Tc52/TSKb20 formulated with QuilA adjuvant. Serum samples collected 170 days post-immunization were analyzed for antigen-specific antibodies by ELISA and for trypanolytic activity against cell-derived trypomastigotes using an in vitro functional assay. Cellular immune responses were evaluated by measuring cytokine production, T cell activation, and memory T cell responses following in vitro re-stimulation with the vaccine antigen or T. cruzi antigens. Results: N-Tc52/TSKb20 vaccination induced a sustained antigen-specific humoral response, characterized by long-lasting IgG2c antibodies and functional activity persisting for up to 170 days post-immunization. In parallel, vaccination promoted long-term activation of antigen-specific CD8+ T cells and production of TNF-α and IFN-γ upon antigen re-encounter. A sex-dependent tendency was observed for IL-10, with increased production in vaccinated female mice. Moreover, vaccinated animals exhibited increased frequencies of central and effector memory CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in response to T. cruzi antigens, with a predominant contribution of CD8+ T cells, indicating the establishment of parasite-specific T cell memory. Conclusions: Together, these findings demonstrate that vaccination with N-Tc52/TSKb20 induces a long-lasting Th1-biased immune response characterized by trypanolytic antibodies, functional and durable T cell responses, and parasite-specific memory T cells. This immunological profile supports the potential of N-Tc52/TSKb20 as a promising vaccine candidate for Chagas disease and highlights its capacity to elicit immune mechanisms that have been associated with protection against T. cruzi infection. Full article
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