Cancer vaccines represent a rapidly evolving frontier in oncology, aiming to harness the immune system to recognize and eliminate tumor cells. Unlike prophylactic vaccines that prevent infectious diseases, therapeutic cancer vaccines are designed to stimulate an immune response against tumor-specific or tumor-associated antigens. Early efforts, such as whole-cell vaccines and peptide-based platforms, showed limited clinical success due to challenges like immune tolerance, antigen heterogeneity, and immunosuppressive tumor microenvironments. However, recent breakthroughs in molecular biology, immunogenomics, and vaccine delivery technologies have reignited interest in this field.

One of the most transformative advances is the development of mRNA-based cancer vaccines, inspired by the success of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines. These platforms allow for rapid, personalized vaccine design by encoding tumor-specific neoantigens identified through next-generation sequencing. Clinical trials have demonstrated promising results, particularly when mRNA vaccines are combined with immune checkpoint inhibitors, leading to improved tumor regression and prolonged survival in cancers such as melanoma and pancreatic cancer.

Additionally, novel platforms, including neoantigen-loaded dendritic cell vaccines, viral vector-based vaccines, and nanoparticle delivery systems, have enhanced the immunogenicity and specificity of cancer vaccines. Artificial intelligence is also playing a growing role in epitope prediction and personalized antigen selection.

Despite these advances, challenges remain in vaccine efficacy, manufacturing scalability, and patient-specific customization. We invite original research articles, reviews, and clinical studies for submission to this Special Issue on "Cancer Vaccines: From Basic Innovations to Clinical Translation" highlighting advances in vaccine design, neoantigen discovery, delivery technologies, and clinical application in cancer immunotherapy.

Keywords: Cancer immunotherapy, neoantigen vaccines, mRNA-based vaccines, personalized cancer vaccines, immune checkpoint combination therapy