Gene Therapy in the Fight Against Viral Infections and Related Diseases: Innovations, Challenges and Future Perspectives
A special issue of Viruses (ISSN 1999-4915). This special issue belongs to the section "Viral Immunology, Vaccines, and Antivirals".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2026 | Viewed by 9
Special Issue Editors
Interests: general microbiology; virology; CRISPR Cas-9; gene editing; oncolytic vectors; HIV-1; SARS-CoV-2; autophagy; lipids and viruses
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
This Special Issue invites original research articles, reviews, and perspectives focusing on the latest breakthroughs, clinical applications, technological advancements, and remaining challenges in using gene therapy to combat viral infections. Topics include development and optimization of viral and non-viral vectors, delivery systems, gene editing strategies (CRISPR/Cas, base and prime editing), therapeutic targets, emerging safety concerns, and regulatory aspects. We welcome contributions addressing both basic science and translational/clinical research in the field.
Topics of Interest:
- Novel viral and non-viral vectors for gene delivery;
- Gene editing tools applied to viral infections;
- Gene therapy targeting chronic and emerging viral diseases;
- Immunomodulation and gene therapy;
- Safety, ethical, and regulatory considerations in gene therapy for infectious diseases;
- Current and future perspectives of gene therapy in vaccine development;
- Animal models and preclinical studies;
- Clinical trial updates and case studies;
- CAR-T approaches against viral infections.
Dr. Michele Lai
Guest Editor
Dr. Alessandro De Carli
Guest Editor Assistant
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. Viruses 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 2600 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
- gene therapy
- viral infections
- gene delivery systems
- viral vectors
- non-viral vectors
- gene editing
- CRISPR/Cas systems
- antiviral therapy vector engineering
- targeted delivery
- tissue-specific targeting
- host–pathogen interactions
- CAR-T
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