The Development of Universal Influenza Vaccines
A special issue of Viruses (ISSN 1999-4915). This special issue belongs to the section "Viral Immunology, Vaccines, and Antivirals".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2026 | Viewed by 7
Special Issue Editors
Interests: influenza virus; coronavirus; universal vaccine; monoclonal antibody; neutralizing antibody; cross-reactive antibody; broad spectrum antibody; antibody affinity maturation; BCR; Single cell sequence; hemagglutinin; neuraminidase
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: influenza virus; coronavirus; vaccinology; adaptive immunity; universal vaccine; antigen modification; cross-reactive antibody; antibody affinity maturation; B and T cell epitope; nanoparticle vaccine
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
We are pleased to announce that the Special Issue of Viruses, “The Development of Universal Influenza Vaccines”, will be open in September 2025. We welcome original research articles, reviews, perspectives, and commentaries that advance our understanding of broadly protective influenza vaccines and accelerate their translation into practice.
Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Structural vaccinology and antigen design;
- Vaccine immunology and mechanisms of durable, cross-protective immunity;
- Broadly neutralizing and broadly protective antibodies, B-cell responses, and monoclonals;
- T-cell-based and epitope-driven vaccine approaches;
- Vaccination strategies and delivery routes (e.g., mucosal, heterologous prime boost);
- Adjuvants, immune modulation, and correlates of protection;
- Vaccine production, stability, and scalable manufacturing platforms;
- Computational/design tools, systems vaccinology, and AI-driven antigen discovery;
- Preclinical and clinical studies, including novel trial designs and regulatory considerations.
Vaccination represents an effective and cost-efficient strategy for controlling the spread of viral diseases. Emerging influenza viruses may evade the prevailing population immunity induced by vaccination through antigenic variation, resulting in reduced vaccine efficacy. Seasonal and pandemic influenza viruses serve as prominent examples of rapidly evolving respiratory pathogens. Therefore, there is a pressing need for the development of universal vaccines capable of providing robust, long-lasting, and broad-spectrum protection against these highly variable viruses. In this Special Issue, we aim to include articles that contribute to addressing key scientific questions in this field.
Please prepare manuscripts according to Viruses’ submission guidelines. We look forward to receiving your contributions and to publishing a collection that meaningfully advances the development of universal influenza vaccines.
Sincerely,
Prof. Dr. Yao-Qing Chen
Prof. Dr. Lei Deng
Guest Editors
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
- universal influenza vaccine
- influenza virus
- broadly protective immunity
- vaccine development
- cross-reactive antibodies
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
