Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics

Vaccines at a Crossroads: Precision Vaccinology as a New Paradigm

Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics is pleased to welcome you to submit your research to the Article Collection "Vaccines at a Crossroads: Precision Vaccinology as a New Paradigm" in conjunction with the 5th Biennial International Precision Vaccines Conference.

The emergence of precision medicine in the development of safe and effective vaccines to protect against infectious and non-infectious diseases, provides an opportunity to integrate cutting-edge research on how tailored vaccine strategies can advance public health. This Article Collection highlights innovative approaches in vaccinology, including advances in genomic, immunologic, and data-driven strategies that can be applied to global health challenges. Specifically, we highlight vaccines tailored to the distinct immune systems of vulnerable populations such as the young, older adults, and immunocompromised individuals.

Immunologically vulnerable populations often exhibit unique immune responses to vaccines, and the development of tailored strategies could significantly improve vaccine safety and efficacy in these groups. In addition, novel needs and potential vaccine targets are emerging including for non-infectious diseases such as opioid epidemic. Lastly, changes in government stance and public opinion towards immunization as well as novel emerging regulatory frameworks, such as the FDA Modernization Act 2.0, provide new challenges and opportunities for advancing precision vaccinology. The Act encourages the use of human in vitro modelling, systems biology, and artificial intelligence/machine learning to identify actionable biomarkers for safe and effective drugs and vaccines tailored to specific populations and this Collection will focus on these areas.

In accordance with the theme of the 5^th Biennial International Precision Vaccines Conference (IPVC), we expect a wide range of perspectives and contributions, reflecting the latest developments in precision vaccinology, including application of systems biology, human in vitro systems that model innate and adaptive responses to vaccines, precision animal models and human clinical trials. Submission of manuscripts including reviews, perspectives and original articles will be welcome.

Keywords: Vaccine safety; Clinical Trials; Precision Vaccinology; Systems Vaccinology; Human in vitro systems

Please visit the 2025 International Precision Vaccines Conference website.

­­All manuscripts submitted to this Article Collection will undergo a full peer-review; the Guest Advisor for this Collection will not be handling the manuscripts (unless they are an Editorial Board member).

Please review the journal scope and author submission instructions prior to submitting a manuscript.

The deadline for submitting manuscripts is 16th October, 2026.

Please contact Ashley Ambros at [email protected] with any queries and discount codes regarding this Article Collection.

Meet the Guest Advisors

Dr. Asimenia Angelidou is a Board-certified Neonatologist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (Boston, MA), Principal Investigator and Clinical Lead at the Precision Vaccines Program (PVP) in Boston Children’s Hospital, and Assistant Professor in Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School. She obtained her medical degree and doctoral degree in Immunopharmacology from the University of Athens in Greece, completed clinical training in Pediatrics at the University of Texas Southwestern and Children’s Medical Center at Dallas, TX, and Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine at the Harvard Combined Training Program in Neonatology, where she also served as Chief Fellow. Her research interests include neonatal immunology and infectious diseases. Ultimately, her research aims to understand the mechanisms of vaccine off-target effects and inform their optimal use in populations of different ages. With her clinical background and engagement in pre-clinical and human clinical vaccine studies, Dr. Angelidou’s long-term goal is to bridge translational investigation and clinical innovation to promote newborn health and improve childhood health outcomes.

Dr. Donato Amodio is a pediatric immunologist and vaccinologist whose research spans immune development in early life, vaccine immunogenicity, and pediatric immunodeficiencies. He earned his MD with distinction, completed a residency in Pediatrics, and obtained a PhD in Molecular Medicine, Immunology, and Applied Biotechnology. His doctoral work on Follicular CD4 T cells laid the foundation for his ongoing investigations into immune responses in vulnerable pediatric populations. Currently, he serves as Assistant Professor at the University of Rome Tor Vergata and Staff Physician at Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, leading multidisciplinary research projects. His vision is to bridge clinical practice and immunological research to optimize vaccine strategies and improve pediatric health globally.

Dr. Ofer Levy MD, PhD directs the Precision Vaccines Program at Boston Children’s Hospital. He also serves on the U.S. FDA Vaccines & Related Biologic Products Advisory Committee. His research focuses on human in vitro modelling, adjuvant science, and systems vaccinology. Dr. Levy discloses the following: Co-founder of ARMR Sciences; Sponsored Research Support and Consultant to GSK.

Dr. Paolo Palma MD, PhD is a pediatric immunologist, whose research focuses on understanding immune responses in children with primary and acquired immunodeficiencies. He has been actively involved in several National Institutes of Health (NIH) projects, including the Pediatric Adolescent Virus Elimination (PAVE) initiative (Grant Number: UM1AI154566), and the Immune Development in Early Life (IDEAL) program. In the realm of European Union-funded research, he serves as the Principal Investigator for the EChiLiBRiST project (Grant Number: 101057114), which aims to develop and validate a quantitative point-of-care test for measuring severity biomarkers to improve risk stratification of fever syndromes in children. He also leads the Immunological Work Package for the EPIICAL project, focusing on early-treated perinatally HIV-infected individuals to develop novel immunotherapeutic strategies. He recently joined the INSIS network (https://insisvaccine.org ) in order to enhance trust in vaccine safety during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond through in-depth evaluation of adverse events following immunization (AEFIs) to understand their causes and how to prevent them. Throughout his career, he has been dedicated to advancing pediatric immunology and vaccinology, striving to enhance the health and well-being of children worldwide.