New Approach Methodologies in Antivirals and Vaccines

The field of antiviral and vaccine development is undergoing a profound transformation driven by technological advancements, multidisciplinary integration, and a heightened global need for rapid-response therapeutic solutions. Traditional vaccine and antiviral discovery pipelines, while effective, often rely on lengthy trial-and-error processes that cannot fully meet the demands of emerging and re-emerging viral threats. Recent progress in structural biology, data-intensive computing, and molecular engineering has opened unprecedented opportunities to accelerate the design, testing, and optimization of antiviral agents and immunogens. Artificial intelligence and machine learning are now enabling structural-guided epitope mapping and predictive modelling of immune responses, while high-throughput, cell-free systems provide rapid platforms for assessing candidate activity and safety. However, the challenge lies in harmonizing these tools to create integrated workflows that maintain precision, scalability, and translational relevance.This Research Topic aims to advance understanding and implementation of New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) in antiviral and vaccine research. It seeks to clarify how novel computational, biochemical, and biotechnological platforms can be synergized to achieve faster and more accurate identification of therapeutic targets and immunogenic epitopes. The goal includes exploring the next generation of rational design principles, AI-informed optimization algorithms, and novel delivery systems such as mRNA-lipid nanoparticle technologies. By encouraging interdisciplinary collaboration, this topic aspires to establish a cohesive framework that bridges in silico prediction, molecular design, and clinical translation of next-generation antivirals and vaccines.To gather further insights into the design, optimization, and testing of antiviral and vaccine agents through new methodological paradigms, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:• Structure-guided rational design and engineering of antiviral drugs and vaccine antigens• AI/ML-driven epitope prediction and mapping, immune response modelling, and intelligent optimization of immunogens• Advanced formulation design, modification strategies, and delivery optimization of mRNA-LNP vaccine platforms• Cell-free high-throughput screening of viral replication inhibitors and broad-spectrum antivirals• Multi-omics integration and bioinformatics mining for novel antiviral target discovery and verification• Integrated computational–experimental pipelines for rapid pathogen detection and emergency antiviral response• Ethical challenges, quality assessment, and regulatory standardization of NAMs applied in vaccine and antiviral preclinical researchArticle types: Original Research, Review, Mini Review, Perspective, and Methodology papers. Topic editors: Changzhong Jin, PENG ZHAN Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/83171/new-approach-methodologies-in-antivirals-and-vaccines