Personalized Melanoma Vaccines: From Neoantigen Discovery to Clinical Breakthroughs

Melanoma, known for its aggressiveness and high mutational burden, presents itself as a prime candidate for neoantigen-targeted immunotherapies. Although checkpoint inhibitors have brought about improved outcomes for some individuals, a considerable number of patients either do not respond or develop resistance over time. Personalized vaccines designed to target patient-specific neoantigens offer a novel and promising strategy to bolster anti-tumor immune responses. Recent pilot studies in melanoma showcase promising immunogenicity; however, challenges persist in optimizing neoantigen selection, discerning the ideal vaccine composition, and identifying predictors of response.This Research Topic aims to advance the understanding and application of personalized neoantigen-based vaccines in treating advanced melanoma. Key objectives include identifying and prioritizing patient-specific neoantigens through whole-exome and transcriptome sequencing, designing and formulating personalized peptide or mRNA-based vaccines, and evaluating the safety, immunogenicity, and preliminary efficacy of these vaccines in combination with immune checkpoint blockade in a phase I clinical study. Additional goals focus on exploring the immune correlates and changes in the tumor microenvironment that accompany clinical responses.To gather further insights in neoantigen-based cancer vaccine development for melanoma, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:o Advances in computational approaches for identifying immunogenic neoantigens in melanomao Strategies for combining personalized vaccines with checkpoint inhibitors to overcome immune evasiono Biomarkers including tumor genotype, T-cell repertoire, and cytokine profiles predicting favorable vaccine responseso Innovations in vaccine design, delivery, and patient-specific adaptationo Explorations of immune correlates and tumor microenvironment dynamics in response to vaccinationWe invite original research, reviews, case studies, and clinical trial reports that contribute to these areas.Please note that manuscripts consisting solely of bioinformatics or computational analysis of public omics databases that are not supplemented by relevant functional validation (clinical cohort or biological validation in vitro or in vivo) are out of scope for this Research Topic. Topic editors: George Ansstas, Tanner Johanns, Osman N Yogurtcu Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/75407/personalized-melanoma-vaccines-from-neoantigen-discovery-to-clinical-breakthroughs