Vaccines Against Human Parasites: from Antigen Discovery to Protective Immunity

Human parasitic infections remain a major cause of chronic morbidity and mortality worldwide, yet vaccine development for these pathogens has progressed far more slowly than for many viral and bacterial diseases. The complex life cycles of parasites, their sophisticated immune evasion strategies, antigenic variation, and the frequent absence of clear correlates of protection continue to limit translational success. At the same time, advances in genomics, proteomics, structural biology, single-cell profiling, and immunoinformatics are accelerating the identification of candidate antigens and enabling more rational immunogen design, alongside a more precise understanding of host-parasite interactions. These developments create an important opportunity to reassess how vaccine targets are selected and how protective immune responses can be defined across helminth, protozoan, and ectoparasite infections.This Research Topic will highlight progress in the discovery and evaluation of parasite vaccine antigens, as well as the innate and adaptive immune mechanisms that shape vaccine efficacy and durable protection. We welcome submissions addressing antigen prioritization, immunogen design, adjuvant and delivery strategies, mucosal and tissue-specific immunity, trained innate responses, T and B cell memory, immune correlates of protection, and preclinical or clinical studies of promising vaccine candidates. By bringing together mechanistic, translational, and comparative studies, this collection aims to advance the immunological framework needed to develop safe, effective, and broadly relevant vaccines against human parasites.We are particularly interested in studies addressing:-Antigen discovery and prioritization for vaccines targeting human parasites;-Genomic, proteomic, structural, and computational approaches to vaccine candidate identification and immunogen design;-Innate immune sensing and early host responses that influence vaccine efficacy;-Adaptive immune mechanisms, including T-cell and B-cell responses to parasite vaccination;-Immune correlates and biomarkers of protective immunity;-Adjuvants, delivery systems, and vaccine platform technologies for parasitic infections;-Mucosal, tissue-resident, and site-specific immune responses in parasite vaccine protection;-Immune evasion, antigenic variation, and parasite-driven immunomodulation relevant to vaccine design;-Preclinical and clinical evaluation of vaccine candidates against protozoan, helminth, or ectoparasitic infections;-Comparative and translational studies that inform durable, safe, and broadly protective antiparasite vaccine strategies. Topic editors: Marisa Mariel Fernandez, Antonio Freitas Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/80269/vaccines-against-human-parasites-from-antigen-discovery-to-protective-immunity