Metabolomics at the Interface of Personalized Cancer Vaccination and Immune Responsiveness

Cancer is a complex disease influenced by genetic mutations, metabolic reprogramming, and diverse tumor microenvironments, all of which affect disease progression and treatment outcomes. Personalized vaccinology has emerged as a promising approach, using individual tumor genomics, and molecular profiles to design tailored cancer vaccines. Complementing genomics analyses, metabolomics provides a comprehensive assessment of small-molecule metabolites that reflect the functional state of tumors and the host immune system. By identifying tumor and patient-specific metabolic signatures, metabolomics can reveal biomarkers associated with vaccine responsiveness, uncover immunosuppressive pathways within the tumor microenvironment, and support strategies to enhance effective vaccine design. By integrating metabolomics with genomics and proteomics, precision cancer vaccines can maximize antitumor effects, reduce off-target responses, and account for inter-patient variability. This review focuses on the role of metabolomics in guiding the design and clinical optimization of personalized cancer vaccines, highlighting its potential to improve next-generation cancer therapies.