Volume II: Targeted Immunotherapy for Cancer

Building on the success of the Research Topic Targeted Immunotherapy for Cancer, this Volume II continues the exploration of targeted cancer immunotherapies and therapeutic cancer vaccines. Immunotherapy has transformed the treatment landscape for several cancers, offering the possibility of durable and selective anti-tumor responses. Yet major challenges remain, including limited efficacy across many tumor types, tumor immune evasion, treatment resistance, and immune-related adverse events. As the field has matured, it has become increasingly clear that effective cancer immunotherapy depends not only on identifying relevant tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) and neoantigens, but also on understanding how these targets interact with the tumor microenvironment, host immunity, and mechanisms of immune suppression.In contrast to conventional chemotherapy and radiotherapy, which often affect both malignant and healthy proliferating cells, targeted cancer immunotherapies aim to direct the immune system specifically against cancer cells based on their antigenic profile. These approaches include therapeutic cancer vaccines, antigen-loaded dendritic cells, nucleic acid-based immunogens, engineered cell-based strategies, and other antigen-specific platforms designed to generate or amplify tumor-directed immune responses. Continued progress in this area has been driven by advances in neoantigen discovery, vaccine design, adjuvant development, delivery technologies, and immune monitoring.At the same time, clinical and preclinical studies have highlighted the complexity of generating meaningful anti-cancer immunity. While some targeted immunotherapies have shown promising activity in malignancies such as melanoma, prostate cancer, lung cancer, and hematologic cancers, many approaches have also faced translational and clinical limitations. These include poor antigen selection, insufficient immunogenicity, intra-tumoral heterogeneity, MHC restriction, and the suppressive effects of the tumor microenvironment. Such findings have reinforced the importance of rational combination strategies, particularly with immune checkpoint inhibitors, cytokine-based therapies, and other immunomodulatory agents.This Volume II aims to build on the insights generated in the first edition by highlighting emerging concepts, technological advances, and translational strategies in targeted cancer immunotherapy. We welcome contributions that deepen understanding of how antigen-specific therapies can be optimized, personalized, and integrated into broader immuno-oncology treatment paradigms. Special attention will be given to studies addressing mechanisms of response and resistance, biomarker development, combination strategies, and next-generation therapeutic vaccine platforms.We welcome submissions spanning both clinical and preclinical research.Areas of interest include, but are not limited to:•Therapeutic cancer vaccines targeting tumor-associated antigens or neoantigens•Personalized neoantigen immunotherapy•Dendritic cell-based and other cell-based immunotherapies•Role of the innate and adaptive immune systems in effective anti-tumor immunity•DNA and RNA immunogens•Novel antigen delivery systems, adjuvants, and vaccine platforms•Combination strategies involving checkpoint inhibitors, cytokines, or standard-of-care therapies•Mechanisms of immune escape, resistance, and treatment failure•Biomarkers of response, toxicity, and patient selection•The role of the tumor microenvironment in shaping antigen-specific immune responses•Translational studies linking preclinical models to clinical outcomes•Clinical trials evaluating safety, immunogenicity, and efficacy of targeted immunotherapiesThrough this collection, we aim to further define the path forward for targeted cancer immunotherapies and therapeutic cancer vaccines, with the goal of advancing more precise, effective, and durable immune-based treatments for cancer. Topic Editor, Dr Williams, is the president and CEO of BriaCell, which is developing targeted immunotherapies for cancer. This includes raising money to support research and clinical programs and applying for grants.Topic Editor, Dr Anderson is a co-founder of BioNexus.AI, focused on Neo-epitope identification Topic editors: William Valentine Williams, Karen Anderson, Cara Haymaker Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/80204/volume-ii-targeted-immunotherapy-for-cancer