Harnessing the Immune Response to Fungal Pathogens for Vaccine Development

Invasive fungal infections are emerging diseases that kill over 1.5 million people per year worldwide. With the increase of immunocompromised populations, the incidence of invasive fungal infections is expected to continue to rise. Vaccines for viral and bacterial infectious diseases have had a transformative impact on human health worldwide. However, no fungal vaccines are currently in clinical use. Recently, interest in fungal vaccines has grown significantly. One Candida vaccine has completed phase 2 clinical trials, and research on vaccines against coccidioidomycosis continues to advance. Additionally, multiple groups have discovered various Cryptococcus mutant strains that promote protective responses to subsequent challenge in mouse models. There has also been progress in antibody-mediated fungal vaccines. In this review, we highlight recent fungal vaccine research progress, outline the wealth of data generated, and summarize current research for both fungal biology and immunology studies relevant to fungal vaccine development. We also review technological advancements in vaccine development and highlight the future prospects of a human vaccine against invasive fungal infections.