Innovative Strategies to Boost the Immunogenicity of Cancer Vaccines

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 March 2026 | Viewed by 11

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Oncology, University of Oxford, Old Road Campus Research Building, Roosevelt Drive, Headington, Oxford OX3 7DQ, UK
Interests: cancer biology; cancer immunotherapies

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Oncology, University of Oxford, Old Road Campus Research Building, Roosevelt Drive, Headington, Oxford OX3 7DQ, UK
Interests: antigen presentation; vaccine development; immunotherapies

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Cancer vaccines hold great promise in immuno-oncology, yet their clinical efficacy has often been limited by the low immunogenicity of tumor antigens and the challenge of immune tolerance. This Special Issue highlights recent advances in developing and optimizing cancer vaccines, including subunit protein, peptide-based, mRNA, and viral vector platforms, to elicit potent and durable anti-tumor immune responses. We welcome contributions on novel antigen design, delivery technologies, and adjuvant systems that enhance antigen uptake, processing, and presentation. Particular emphasis will be placed on strategies that upregulate MHC class I and II expression, expand epitope coverage, and overcome HLA restriction as well as tumor antigen heterogeneity. We also invite studies exploring the combination of cancer vaccines with other modalities, such as immune checkpoint inhibitors, cytokine therapies, adoptive T cell transfer, antibody–drug conjugates (ADCs), and T cell engagers, to synergistically improve therapeutic efficacy. This Special Issue aims to showcase state-of-the-art innovations driving the next generation of cancer vaccines toward meaningful clinical impacts.

Prof. Dr. Eric O'Neill
Dr. Shisong Jiang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • cancer vaccines
  • tumor antigens
  • tumor-associated antigens (TAAs)
  • tumor-specific antigens (TSAs)
  • subunit vaccines
  • peptide vaccines
  • mRNA vaccines
  • viral vector vaccines
  • adjuvants
  • antigen presentation
  • MHC class I and II upregulation
  • cancer immunotherapy
  • antibody–drug conjugates (ADCs)
  • T cell engages
  • combination immunotherapy

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Published Papers

This special issue is now open for submission.
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