Innovating Vaccine Research in Mucosal Vaccines

Dear Colleagues,

Mucosal surfaces, such as the oral, digestive, nasal, and genital regions, represent the body's first line of defense against a vast number of pathogens. Developing mucosal vaccines offers the potential to elicit innate recognition and generate antigen-specific tissue-resident T-cell as well as B-cell secretory antibody responses, capable of preventing pathogen infections even at distant mucosal sites and systemically. In recent years, significant progress has been made in understanding mucosal immunity mechanisms and the crosstalk between distal mucosal sites, providing valuable information to facilitate the rational development of new mucosal vaccines; however, only a limited number of mucosal vaccines have gained human approval to date. In addition, the importance of mucosal vaccines extends beyond infectious diseases and can also be significant in addressing non-infectious conditions such as allergies, autoimmune disorders, and certain types of cancers by modulating immune responses at mucosal sites. Despite these potential advantages, mucosal vaccines face diverse challenges. Effective mucosal immunization typically requires suitable delivery systems and adjuvants to initiate and enhance collaboration between innate and adaptive immunity. As of now, many mucosal delivery systems are experimental, and few adjuvants are licensed for mucosal use. Identifying safe and efficient mucosal delivery strategies and adjuvants is crucial for innovative mucosal vaccine development.

This Special Issue aims to spotlight and explore the innovative potential of mucosal vaccines. We welcome submissions covering, but not limited to, the following topics:

• Innovative approaches for mucosal vaccine development.
• Mechanisms of action.
• Duration and boosting studies.
• Delivery strategies.
• Adjuvant designs.
• Applications for infectious and non-infectious diseases.
• Pre-clinical candidate vaccines for neglected diseases or rare diseases.
• Strategies to counter pathogen evasion.
• Advancements in the 3Rs (replacement, reduction, and refinement) principles in mucosal vaccinology.

Dr. Ana Rosa Pérez
Dr. Iván Marcipar
Dr. Gabriel Cabrera
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. 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.

• mucosal vaccines
• mucosal delivery systems
• mucosal adjuvants
• oral vaccines
• nasal vaccines
• genital vaccines