Cancer Vaccine Immunotherapy for Solid and Hematologic Malignancies

Cancer vaccines are re-emerging as a credible immunotherapy class, propelled by advances in antigen discovery, vaccine engineering, and combination strategies that can amplify or reshape anti-tumor immunity. Yet, despite compelling immunogenicity signals, durable clinical benefit has remained inconsistent—particularly in immunologically “cold” solid tumors—while hematologic malignancies present distinct opportunities and constraints, including immune paresis and target selection that differs from epithelial cancers. This Research Topic, Cancer Vaccine Immunotherapy for Solid and Hematologic Malignancies, will provide a translationally focused forum to synthesize current progress, key barriers, and future directions for prophylactic and therapeutic vaccination approaches across tumor types.We aim to integrate mechanistic and clinical insights spanning established and emerging vaccine modalities, including peptide and protein vaccines (with an emphasis on neoantigen and peptide strategies), mRNA and DNA platforms, dendritic cell–based approaches, viral/bacterial vectors, whole-tumor/lysate vaccines, and next-generation delivery systems such as nanoparticles and extracellular vesicle–based technologies. Contributions should clarify how platform design and delivery shape antigen processing and presentation, priming and persistence of CD8+ and CD4+ T-cell responses, and the underexplored but increasingly relevant role of B-cell/antibody-mediated immunity.A central focus of this collection is antigen selection and prioritization—from tumor-associated antigens to tumor-specific neoantigens—and the evolving toolkit for discovery. We welcome analyses that benchmark AI-assisted neoantigen prediction, immunopeptidomics, and multi-omics strategies across high-TMB settings (e.g., melanoma, NSCLC) and low-TMB or antigen-presentation–limited contexts (e.g., Breast Cancer including TNBC, pancreatic cancer, MSIH and MSS colorectal cancer, RCC, and hematologic malignancies). Particular interest includes “public” or shared targets arising from cryptic antigens and fusion breakpoints (e.g., BCR-ABL and other oncogenic fusions), which may reduce cost and lead time compared with fully individualized approaches. Practical comparisons of off-the-shelf versus personalized paradigms—defining where each is clinically sufficient—are strongly encouraged.To address the historical efficacy gap, this Research Topic aims to highlight rational combination regimens that convert vaccine-induced immunity into tumor control, including combinations with immune checkpoint blockade (e.g., PD-1/PD-L1, CTLA-4, TIGIT, LAG-3), chemotherapy, targeted therapy, radiotherapy, and cellular therapies (e.g., CAR-T, TCR-engineered and adoptive T-cell transfer). We also invite work on integrated immune-engaging strategies such as adjuvants, optimized scheduling, antibody-drug conjugates, and multi-specific targeting concepts that may broaden epitope coverage and counter immune escape.Finally, we seek contributions that directly confront translational bottlenecks: mechanisms of tolerance, immune editing, and clonal attrition after vaccination; biomarkers beyond TMB (e.g., HLA features, baseline TCR repertoire, ctDNA and immune signatures); and the manufacturing, logistical, regulatory, and trial-design steps needed to shorten “vein-to-vein” time and enable scalable implementation. Together, these efforts will outline a roadmap for positioning cancer vaccines as a durable, programmable pillar of precision oncology across solid and hematologic malignancies.Topics of interest include but are not limited to:o Computer-aided and AI-enabled discovery of vaccine targets as a cornerstone of rational vaccine design, including approaches for antigen identification, neoantigen prioritization, and optimization of target selection across tumor types.o Machine learning applications in cancer vaccine development and immuno-oncology, including the detection of subtle biological patterns, integration of complex multi-modal datasets, and improved prediction of immunogenicity, response, and resistance.o Mechanisms of disseminated tumor cell dormancy and reactivation, particularly in metastatic niches such as the bone marrow and lungs, and the implications of these processes for vaccine-based strategies aimed at preventing relapse.o Immune surveillance and therapeutic interception of dormant residual disease, including efforts to define how vaccine-induced immunity may help maintain dormancy or prevent dormant tumor cells from reawakening.o Preventive cancer vaccine strategies for high-risk populations, including the feasibility of universal prophylactic vaccination approaches in the context of recent advances in mRNA platform technologies.o The role of the microbiome in cancer vaccine development and prevention, including emerging insights into the breast microbiome and its potential relevance for immune priming, cancer risk, and vaccine responsiveness.Please note: Manuscripts consisting solely of bioinformatics, computational analysis, or predictions of public databases which are not accompanied by validation (independent clinical or patient cohort, or biological validation in vitro or in vivo, which are not based on public databases) are not suitable for publication in this journal. Topic editors: Pravin Kaumaya, Subhash Kumar Tripathi Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/84450/cancer-vaccine-immunotherapy-for-solid-and-hematologic-malignancies