Dendritic Cells (DCs) and Cancer Immunotherapy: 2nd Edition
A special issue of Vaccines (ISSN 2076-393X). This special issue belongs to the section "Vaccination Against Cancer and Chronic Diseases".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2026 | Viewed by 255
Special Issue Editor
2. Immunology Research Program, Henry Ford Cancer Institute, Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, MI, USA
Interests: dendritic cell vaccine; cancer immunotherapy; tumor immunity; cross-presentation; CD8 T cell immunity; exosomes
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Dendritic cells (DCs) are the most effective antigen-presenting cells and are capable of efficiently cross-presenting tumor-associated antigens and priming tumor antigen-specific CD8 T cells to combat tumors. This unique capability of DCs positions DC-based vaccines as one of the leading strategies in cancer immunotherapy. However, tumors frequently induce a state of tolerance in DCs, resulting in suppressed tumor immunity and limiting the effectiveness of DC-based cancer vaccines.
Several obstacles hinder the success of DC vaccines, including tumor-mediated immunosuppression and the functional limitations of DCs differentiated in vitro. To address these challenges, researchers are exploring alternatives such as DC-derived exosomes (DCexos), which have gained attention as potential cell-free therapeutic vaccines. Additionally, in vivo DC-targeted vaccines and the use of naturally circulating blood DCs offer promising strategies compared to in vitro cultured DCs. Nonetheless, there are significant gaps in our understanding of the fundamental biology of these approaches, such as how DCexos and different DC subsets prime T cells, which impedes their translation into clinical applications. Furthermore, an enhanced understanding of how DCs interact with other immune cells, such as other DCs, B cells, and NK cells, is crucial in fully realizing the potential of DC-based vaccines.
This Special Issue welcomes new research articles and reviews that explore all aspects of dendritic cells and their contributions to vaccine development and cancer immunotherapy.
Dr. Aimin Jiang
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Vaccines is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- dendritic cell vaccine
- cancer immunotherapy
- immune checkpoint blockade
- tumor immunity
- CD8 T cell immunity
- exosomes
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
Related Special Issue
- Dendritic Cells (DCs) and Cancer Immunotherapy in Vaccines (4 articles)
